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Keywords: enteroplasticity; female; gastrointestinal tract; lactation; ovarian cycle; pregnancy; reproduction EN enteroplasticity female gastrointestinal tract lactation ovarian cycle pregnancy reproduction 799 801 3 06/05/23 20230601 NES 230601 For something that takes place so regularly - between every 21 and 35 days - and affects up to one half of the human population, why is it that we still have only limited knowledge about other associated internal metabolic fluctuations that are taking place throughout this dynamic time known as the ovarian cycle? In this issue of I Experimental Physiology i , by investigating female mouse small intestine gut tissues I ex vivo i that were taken during clearly identified stages of the murine ovarian cycle, Overduin et al. ([6]) have tackled this lack of information head on. Enteroplasticity, female, gastrointestinal tract, lactation, ovarian cycle, pregnancy, reproduction. [Extracted from the article]

The World Health Organization recommends deworming to reduce soil‐transmitted helminth (STH)‐attributable morbidity in women of reproductive age, including pregnant and lactating women, to reduce blood loss, iron deficiency anaemia and nutrient malabsorption. This study assessed the impact of maternal postpartum deworming with albendazole approximately 1 day after delivery on infant milk intake among a subset of 216 randomly selected mother–infant pairs recruited into a large trial in Peru. Infant milk intake was measured using the deuterium‐oxide method at 1‐ and 6‐month postpartum. Maternal STH infection was measured at 6‐month postpartum. At 1‐month postpartum, mean intake was 756 ± 16 and 774 ± 18 mL day−1 in the albendazole and placebo groups, respectively (mean difference: −18 mL day−1; 95% CI: −65, 30). At 6‐month postpartum, mean intake was 903 ± 16 and 908 ± 18 mL day−1 in the albendazole and placebo groups, respectively (mean difference: −5 mL day−1; 95% CI: −52, 43). There was no statistically significant difference in milk intake between groups at either time point. At 6‐month postpartum, mothers infected with Trichuris trichiura had infants with higher milk intakes (adjusted mean difference: 70 mL day−1; 95% CI: 20, 120) compared with uninfected mothers. However, there was no statistically significant difference in infant milk intake between mothers who had moderate‐and‐heavy intensity infection compared with the comparison group (mothers with no and light intensity infection). A lower prevalence and intensity of infection, and inclusion of uninfected mothers in both arms of the trial, resulting in effect dilution, may explain the null findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated associations between breastfeeding duration and number of children breastfed and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and glycemic control among parous women. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data for 9,960 parous women from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (2010 to 2013). Having ever breastfed was inversely associated with prevalent T2DM (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42 to 0.87). All ranges of total and average breastfeeding duration showed inverse associations with T2DM. Even short periods of breastfeeding were inversely associated with T2DM (adjusted OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.99 for a total breastfeeding duration ≤12 months; adjusted OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.99 for an average breastfeeding duration per child ≤6 months). A longer duration of breastfeeding was associated with better glycemic control in parous women with T2DM (P trend=0.004 for total breastfeeding duration; P trend <0.001 for average breastfeeding duration per child). Breastfeeding may be associated with a lower risk of T2DM and good glycemic control in parous women with T2DM. Breastfeeding may be a feasible method to prevent T2DM and improve glycemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactation invokes homeorhetic processes to ramp up and supply milk synthesis components to fulfil nutritional, immunological and microbiological requirements of developing offspring, overseen by complex neuroendocrine networks. The maternal gut meets these intense metabolic demands, supported by hyperphagia and rapid adjustments to process larger food quantities. Enteroplasticity describes an inherent ability of the gastrointestinal tract to harness metabolic and structural adaptations that increase nutrient absorption. Most shifts in response to increased demands are transitory and by secreting milk, the continuous energetic drain out of the maternal body avoids development of pathological metabolic diseases. Lactation has various positive benefits for long-term maternal health but many females do not lactate for long post pregnancy and younger women are increasingly pre-disposed to excessive body mass and/or metabolic complications prior to reproducing. Inadvertently invoking intestinal adaptations to harvest and store excess nutrients has negative health implications with increased risks for both mother and offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is one of the most prevalent disorders in the world and may occur during pregnancy and postpartum periods. Fluoxetine (FLX) has been widely prescribed for use during depression in pregnancy and lactation. This study aimed to investigate if in utero and lactational exposure to FLX could compromise reproductive parameters in female offspring. Wistar rats received, by daily gavage, FLX 5 mg/kg or 0.3 ml of water (control group) from the first gestational day until weaning (21 days). Assessments in the female offspring included: body weight, anogenital distance, vaginal opening, first estrus, estrous cycle, reproductive organs weight, uterine morphometric analyses, ovarian follicle and corpora lutea counting, estradiol plasmatic concentration, sexual behavior, maternal behavior and fertility test. Exposure to FLX delayed the puberty onset in female pups. The present study demonstrated that developmental exposure to FLX can deregulate the neuroendocrine hormonal control of female offspring during prepubertal and pubertal periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Nutritional deficiencies during neural development may lead to irreversible changes, even after nutritional rehabilitation, promoting morphological and functional adaptations of structures involved with various behaviours including feeding behaviour. However, the ability of the exposure low protein diet during gestation and lactation to affect the hedonic component of food intake is still poorly understood, especially in females. Methods Wistar rats were divided into two groups according to the diet offered to the dams during pregnancy and lactation: control female (CF; diet with 17% protein, n = 7) and low protein female (LPF; diet with 8% protein, n = 7). The following parameters were evaluated: (a) body weight during weaning, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 days of life; (b) standard diet intake from 110 to 132 days of life; (c) fat diet and consumption of simple carbohydrates (HFHS) for 1 h at 145 days of life; (d) incentive runway task 60 days after 82 days of life; (e) taste reactivity at 90 days of life; and (f) neuronal activation in the caudate putamen, amygdala, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus under stimulus HFHS at 145 days of life. Results The exposure, a low protein diet during gestation and lactation, decreased the body weight throughout the study period from weaning to 90 days of life. However, there was no significant change in the body weight of low protein females from 110 to 132 days of life compared with the control females. There was an increase in the rate of the search for reward and reduced the latency of the perception of bitter taste. The exposure, a low protein diet during gestation and lactation, also promoted hypophagy in adult females compared with control animals. The low protein female had increased HFHS diet consumption compared with the control. Undernutrition increased neuronal activation in response to HFHS diet consumption compared with female controls in the amygdala and in the caudate putamen. Conclusion Females subjected to the exposure, a low protein diet during gestation and lactation, exhibit hypophagy on a standard diet but a higher consumption of a diet rich in lipids and simple carbohydrates. And also were more motivated by the pursuit of reward and reduced latency of the bitter taste reactivity, and increased the number of immunoreactive cells c-fos protein activated in the caudate putamen, amygdala and paraventricular nucleus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oestradiol (E2) acts in the hypothalamus to regulate luteinising hormone ( LH) and prolactin ( PRL) secretion. Tamoxifen ( TX) has been extensively used as a selective oestrogen receptor modulator, although its neuroendocrine effects remain poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the hypothalamic effects of TX in rats under low or high circulating E2 levels. Ovariectomised ( OVX) rats treated with oil, E2 or TX, or E2 plus TX, were evaluated for hormonal secretion and immunohistochemical analyses in hypothalamic areas. Both E2 and TX reduced LH levels, whereas TX blocked the E2-induced surges of LH and PRL. TX prevented the E2-induced expression of progesterone receptor ( PR) in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus ( AVPV) and arcuate nucleus ( ARC), although it did not alter PR expression in OVX rats. TX blocked the E2 induction of c-Fos in AVPV neurones, consistent with the suppression of LH surge. However, TX failed to prevent E2 inhibition of kisspeptin expression in the ARC. In association with the blockade of PRL surge, TX increased the phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase ( TH) in the median eminence of OVX, E2-treated rats. TX also precluded the E2-induced increase in TH expression in the ARC. In all immunohistochemical analyses, TX treatment in OVX rats caused no measurable effect on the hypothalamus. Thus, TX is able to prevent the positive- but not negative-feedback effect of E2 on the hypothalamus. TX also blocks the effects of E2 on tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurones and PRL secretion. These findings further characterise the anti-oestrogenic actions of TX in the hypothalamus and provide new information on the oestrogenic regulation of LH and PRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Some breastfed infants with atopic eczema benefit from elimination of cow milk, egg, or other antigens from their mother's diet. Maternal dietary antigens are also known to cross the placenta. Objectives To assess the effects of prescribing an antigen avoidance diet during pregnancy or lactation, or both, on maternal and infant nutrition and on the prevention or treatment of atopic disease in the child. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (6 July 2012). Selection criteria All randomized or quasi-randomized comparisons of maternal dietary antigen avoidance prescribed to pregnant or lactating women. We excluded trials of multimodal interventions that included manipulation of the infant's diet other than breast milk or of non-dietary aspects of the infant's environment. Data collection and analysis We extracted data from published reports, supplemented by additional information received from the trialists we contacted. Main results The evidence from five trials, involving 952 participants, does not suggest a protective effect of maternal dietary antigen avoidance during pregnancy on the incidence of atopic eczema during the first 18 months of life. Data on allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis, or both, and urticaria are limited to a single trial each and are insufficient to draw meaningful inferences. Longer-term atopic outcomes have not been reported. The restricted diet during pregnancy was associated with a slightly but statistically significantly lower mean gestational weight gain, a non-significantly higher risk of preterm birth, and a non-significant reduction in mean birthweight. The evidence from two trials, involving 523 participants, did not observe a significant protective effect of maternal antigen avoidance during lactation on the incidence of atopic eczema during the first 18 months or on positive skin-prick tests to cow milk, egg, or peanut antigen at one, two, or seven years. One crossover trial involving 17 lactating mothers of infants with established atopic eczema found that maternal dietary antigen avoidance was associated with a non-significant reduction in eczema severity. Authors' conclusions Prescription of an antigen avoidance diet to a high-risk woman during pregnancy is unlikely to reduce substantially her child's risk of atopic diseases, and such a diet may adversely affect maternal or fetal nutrition, or both. Prescription of an antigen avoidance diet to a high-risk woman during lactation may reduce her child's risk of developing atopic eczema, but better trials are needed. Dietary antigen avoidance by lactating mothers of infants with atopic eczema may reduce the severity of the eczema, but larger trials are needed. Plain Language Summary Maternal dietary antigen avoidance during pregnancy or lactation, or both, for preventing or treating atopic disease in the child Evidence is inadequate to advise women to avoid specific foods during pregnancy or breastfeeding to protect their children from allergic diseases like eczema and asthma. We included five trials, involving 952 participants. Trials of mothers' avoidance of milk, eggs, and other potentially 'antigenic' foods during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or both, provide inadequate evidence about whether such avoidance helps prevent atopic eczema or asthma in the child. Women who avoided eating these foods gained significantly less weight during pregnancy in the one trial reporting on this outcome, raising the possibility of adverse nutritional effects on the mother or fetus. Finally, one small trial reported an inconclusive response of breastfed infants with atopic eczema when their mothers avoided consumption of cow milk and egg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Possible neurotoxic effects induced by endosulfan exposure during pregnancy and lactation in striatum of Sprague-Dawley female and male offspring rats have been evaluated. Dams were treated orally with 0.61 or 6.12mg of endosulfan/kg/day from the beginning of gestation until weaning. At postnatal day 60 offspring were sacrificed. We studied variations of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin content in striatum by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in these animals. Dopamine and serotonin metabolism was also determined. Endosulfan inhibits the striatal aminergic systems in adult male rats by decreasing norepinephrine and serotonin concentration and dopamine and serotonin metabolism. However, in adult female rats, only a diminution of norepinephrine content and an increase of dopamine and serotonin content were observed after endosulfan administration at the dose of 6.12mg/kg/day, whereas the concentration and the metabolism of these biogenic amines were not with the dose of 0.61mg/kg/day. Gender differences emerge in the striatal aminergic system susceptibility to endosulfan exposure during the early life stages, being the neurotoxic effects of this organochlorine insecticide higher in male than in female rats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although many studies have investigated the effects of gestational and lactational cocaine use on maternal behavior, few studies have examined the effects of prior adult cocaine use on maternal behavior. In the current study, intraperitoneal cocaine or saline was administered to adult female rats for 10 days, treatments were stopped for 4 days, and the females were then mated. Litter size and weight were recorded on days 2 and 16 of lactation, and maternal care, maternal aggression, and light/dark box activity were assessed on days 2, 9, and 16 of lactation. The cocaine-treated females exhibited behavioral sensitization on treatment day 10. Mothers previously treated with cocaine retrieved pups more quickly, spent more time caring for the pups (increased pup retrieval, pup grooming, and crouching over the pups by the mother), and were more aggressive towards a male intruder compared to saline-treated control animals on day 2 of lactation. These effects were specific to maternal behavior, as other behaviors were mostly unaffected by prior cocaine treatment. Data from light/dark box tests indicate that cocaine did not affect activity in this test. There were few significant behavioral effects of prior cocaine treatment on lactation days 9 and 16. Prior cocaine use may have lasting effects on offspring care and maternal aggression, specifically during early lactation. The present data support the hypothesis that maternal behavior is increased by prior cocaine sensitization, possibly due to cross-sensitization between cocaine and the natural reward of maternal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our prior conditioned place preference (CPP) work demonstrates that late (day16) postpartum female rats consistently prefer cocaine- over pup-associated chambers, whereas far fewer early postpartum (day8) females prefer the cocaine-associated chamber. The present study examines early and late postpartum females’ preference for a cocaine-associated chamber when contrasted with a chamber associated with saline (rather than pups). Postpartum females were tested for conditioned preference for chambers associated with cocaine (10 mg/kg subcutaneous (SC) or 0.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg intraperitoneal (IP) injections) versus saline; preferences of virgin female and male rats for select cocaine stimuli (10mg/kg SC or IP) were also tested. Locomotion was recorded during CPP conditioning and testing. Early and late postpartum females expressed strikingly similar preference for the cocaine-associated chamber across all administration routes and doses. IP cocaine produced an orderly, inverted U-shaped dose-preference curve, with preference peaking at the 5 mg/kg dose (83% of females). While many postpartum females preferred 10mg/kg cocaine administered either SC or IP, both virgin females and males expressed strong aversion to SC cocaine and, while virgin females strongly preferred IP cocaine, males remained relatively indifferent. Across 10mg/kg IP cocaine-conditioning sessions, locomotor sensitization occurred exclusively in cocaine- but not saline-preferring postpartum females. Locomotor rate was lower in preferred versus nonpreferred chambers at CPP test. Early and late postpartum females may be equally and uniquely susceptible to sampling and/or abuse of modestly salient doses of cocaine (10mg/kg SC; 5mg/kg IP) compared to virgin females and/or males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The transition to motherhood results in a number of hormonal, neurological and behavioral changes necessary to ensure offspring survival. However, little attention has been paid to changes not directly linked to reproductive function in the early mother. In this study, we demonstrate that spatial performances during the learning phase were impaired after the delivery in rats, while spatial retention ability was improved 2 weeks later. In addition, we also report that early motherhood reduced the cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus without inducing a decrease in the newborn cells 2 weeks later. The decrease of estradiol levels and high levels of glucocorticoids after delivery could in part explain the changes in the hippocampal function. In summary, our findings suggest that early postpartum period is associated with a modification of hippocampal function. This may reflect a homeostatic form of hippocampal plasticity in response to the onset of the maternal experience. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In rats, a high degree of brain development and myelination occurs during the first 15 days after birth. Ethanol intake by lactating rats modified 12 day-old pups' brain development and metabolism. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of maternal ethanol ingestion during lactation on prepubertal (24-day-old) pups' brain and liver metabolism. Lactating rats (4 male and 4 female litters) were divided into 2 groups: control--received control liquid diet, and ethanol--received liquid diet containing 4% of ethanol. On postnatal day 24, the pups were killed by decapitation. Liver and brain were utilized for measuring Adenosine Tri-phosphate-citrate lyase and malic enzymes activities. Brain slices were incubated in medium containing glucose to determine glucose consumption and oxidation, and lipid synthesis. The ethanol intake decreased male and female pups' body, brain and liver weight. Liver Adenosine Tri-phosphate-citrate lyase activity was decreased only in male pups of the ethanol group. The intake of ethanol solution by the dams increased glucose consumption and oxidation by the incubated female pups' brain slices and decreased glucose oxidation by the male pups' brain slices. It can be concluded that the effects of maternal ethanol intake on pups' development and metabolism are gender-related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco smoke during gestation is associated with increased consumption of palatable foods by the offspring in humans and rats. Postpartum relapse is observed in lactating women who quit smoking during pregnancy, putting their children at risk of adverse health outcomes caused by secondhand smoke. Nicotine is transferred through milk and alters the dopaminergic reward system of adult male rats, reducing dopamine action in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. Here, we evaluated the long-term effects of nicotine-only exposure during lactation on eating behavior, anxiety, locomotion, dopaminergic system, hypothalamic leptin signaling and nicotinic receptor in the adult female rat progeny. Two days after birth (PN2), Wistar rat dams were separated into control and nicotine (Nic) groups for implantation of osmotic minipumps that released respectively saline or 6 mg/kg nicotine. Lactating dams were kept with 6 pups. After weaning (PN21; nicotine withdrawal), only the female offspring were studied. Euthanasia occurred at PN180. Nic females showed hyperphagia, preference for a high-sucrose diet, increased anxiety-like behavior, lower tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), lower dopamine transporter and higher dopamine receptor (Drd2) in NAc; lower Drd1 in prefrontal cortex and lower TH in dorsal striatum (DS). These animals showed changes that can explain their hyperphagia, such as: lower leptin signaling pathway (Leprb, pJAK2, pSTAT3) and Chrna7 expression in hypothalamus. Neonatal nicotine exposure affects the brain reward system of the female progeny differently from males, mainly decreasing dopamine production in NAc and DS. Therefore, Nic females are more susceptible to develop food addiction and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pre-gestational stress and venlafaxine treatment was associated with anxiety-like behavior of juvenile and adolescent offspring. • Pre-gestational stress increased anxiety-like behavior, with venlafaxine treatment normalizing the state. • Maternal stress even prior to gestation can have detrimental effect on hippocampal development of the female offspring. Preclinical studies suggest that stress-related disorders even prior gestation can cause long-term changes at the level of neurobehavioral adaptations. Therefore, it is critical to consider undergoing antidepressant therapy which could reverse the negative consequences in the offspring. Venlafaxine is widely used in clinical practice; however insufficient amount of well-controlled studies verified the safety of venlafaxine therapy during gestation and lactation. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of perinatal venlafaxine therapy on selected neurobehavioral variables in mothers and their female offspring using a model of maternal adversity. Pre-gestational stressed and non-stressed Wistar rat dams were treated with either venlafaxine (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle during pregnancy and lactation. We have shown that pre-gestational stress decreased the number of pups with a significant reduction in the number of males but not females. Furthermore, we found that offspring of stressed and treated mothers exhibited anxiogenic behavior in juvenile and adolescent age. However, during adulthood pre-gestational stress significantly increased anxiety-like behavior of female, with venlafaxine treatment normalizing the state to control levels. Additionally, we found that even maternal stress prior gestation can have long-term impact on adult number of hippocampal immature neurons of the female offspring. A number of questions related to the best treatment options for maternal depression still remains, however present data may provide greater insight into the possible outcomes associated with perinatal venlafaxine therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factors regulating maternal attack in "TO" strain mice were investigated to determine 1) optimal conditions for inducing this behaviour and 2) the likely utility of this activity. Lactating females were more likely to attack male intruders than female intruders. The mate's presence reduced maternal attack in this strain, or (putting it conversely) aggression was generated in the male's absence. Removal of the mothers from their litters for four to five hours also suppressed maternal attack. Investigation of the bite targets in the maternal attack suggested that it is a defensive, rather than an offensive, response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stressful events occurring during early life have been related to behavioral and neurochemical disturbances. Maternal separation during the first two weeks of life is a traumatic event that strongly affects the feeding behavior and serotonergic system of the progeny in adulthood. As this system modulates the feeding behavior, the present study aimed at investigating the effects of maternal separation-induced stress on both the feeding behavior and serotonergic system of the middle-aged female rats by manipulating this system using fluoxetine, a selective serotonin transporter inhibitor. Lactating Wistar rats were separated from their litters from postnatal day 2 (PND 2) to PND 14 for 3 h in the dark phase of the circadian cycle. The maternally separated (MS) and control (C) groups were distinguished from each other based on the incidence or absence of maternal separation (early life stress). All the analyses were done on the female offspring from one-year of age. Maternal separation anticipated the satiety point in these females. This anticipation was linked to lower food intake, meal duration and meal size. These results mirrored the effects of fluoxetine in the control animals. Furthermore, maternal separation was associated with 5ht1b serotonin receptor hyperexpression in the hypothalamus. These findings demonstrate that maternal separation has long-lasting effects on the eating behavior and serotonergic system and that this system could be responsible for mediating these behavioral outcomes. • Maternal separation alters food intake of females in the long term. • Maternal separation increases 5ht1b RNA gene expression. • Maternal separation promotes a lower response after fluoxetine administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]