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Fetal Programming Effects of a Mild Food Restriction During Pregnancy in Mice: How Does It Compare to Intragestational Ghrelin Administration?
- Source :
- Reproductive Sciences. 28:3547-3561
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021.
-
Abstract
- To explore in mice if a 15% food restriction protocol during pregnancy programs the offspring postnatal development, with emphasis on reproductive function, and to assess if ghrelin (Ghrl) administration to mouse dams exerts effects that mimic those obtained under mild caloric restriction. Mice were 15% food-restricted, injected with 4 nmol/animal/day of Ghrl, or injected with the vehicle (control) thorough pregnancy. After birth, the pups did not receive further treatment. Pups born from food-restricted dams (FR pups) were lighter than Ghrl pups at birth, but reached normal weight at adulthood. Ghrl pups were heavier at birth and gained more weight than control pups (C pups). This effect was not associated with plasma IGF-1. FR pups showed a delay in pinna detachment and eye opening, while an advance was observed in Ghrl pups. FR pups showed also impairment in the surface-righting reflex. In both female FR and Ghrl pups, there was an advance in vaginal opening and, in adulthood, FR pups showed a significant decrease in their own litter size and plasma progesterone, and an increase in embryo loss. A delay in testicular descent was evident in male Ghrl pups. Changes in puberty onset were not associated with differences in the expression of Kiss1 in hypothalamic nuclei. Finally, in adulthood, FR pups showed a significant decrease in sperm quality. In conclusion, a mild food restriction thorough gestation exerted programming effects on the offspring, affecting also their reproductive function in adulthood. These effects were not similar to those of intragestational Ghrl administration.
- Subjects :
- Male
0301 basic medicine
Litter (animal)
medicine.medical_specialty
Offspring
Biology
Fetal Development
Mice
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Pregnancy
Internal medicine
medicine
Animals
Caloric Restriction
030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine
Drug Administration Routes
Sexual Development
Obstetrics and Gynecology
medicine.disease
Ghrelin
Food restriction
030104 developmental biology
Endocrinology
Animals, Newborn
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Reflex
Gestation
Female
Puberty onset
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19337205 and 19337191
- Volume :
- 28
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Reproductive Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....58b8ea477db27fedf1162847ada9bf30