Bellinger L, Sculley D V, Langley-Evans S C
School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, UK.
Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 May;30(5):729-38. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803205.
To assess the long-term impact of undernutrition during specific periods of fetal life, upon central adiposity, control of feeding behaviour and locomotor activity.
Pregnant rats were fed a control or low-protein (LP) diet, targeted to early (LPE), mid (LPM) or late (LPL) pregnancy or throughout gestation (LPA). The offspring were studied at 9 and 18 months of age.
Adiposity was assessed by measuring weight of abdominal fat depots relative to body weight. Locomotor activity was assessed using an infrared sensor array system in both light and dark conditions. Hypothalamic expression of mRNA for galanin and the galanin 2 receptor (Gal2R) was determined using real-time PCR.
At 9 months, male rats exposed to LP in utero had less fat in the gonadal depot, but were of similar body weight to controls. By 18 months, the males of groups LPA and LPM had more abdominal and less subcutaneous fat. Females deposited more fat centrally than males between 9 and 18 months of age, and this was more marked in groups LPA and LPL. Food intake was greater in LPM males. Among females hypophagia was noted in groups LPA and LPL. Expression of galanin and Gal2R were unaffected by maternal diet. Total locomotor activity was reduced in LPE males and all LP females in the light but not in the dark.
Locomotor activity and feeding behaviour in aged rats are subject to prenatal programming influences. Fetal undernutrition does not programme obesity in rats without postnatal dietary challenge.
评估胎儿期特定阶段营养不良对中心性肥胖、进食行为控制和运动活动的长期影响。
将怀孕大鼠分为对照组或低蛋白（LP）饮食组，分别针对孕早期（LPE）、孕中期（LPM）、孕晚期（LPL）或整个孕期（LPA）进行喂养。对后代在9个月和18个月龄时进行研究。
通过测量腹部脂肪储存重量相对于体重来评估肥胖程度。在光照和黑暗条件下使用红外传感器阵列系统评估运动活动。使用实时PCR测定下丘脑甘丙肽和甘丙肽2受体（Gal2R）的mRNA表达。
9个月时，子宫内暴露于LP的雄性大鼠性腺储存脂肪较少，但体重与对照组相似。到18个月时，LPA组和LPM组的雄性大鼠腹部脂肪增多，皮下脂肪减少。在9至18个月龄之间，雌性大鼠比雄性大鼠在中心部位储存更多脂肪，这在LPA组和LPL组中更为明显。LPM组雄性大鼠的食物摄入量更大。在LPA组和LPL组的雌性大鼠中观察到摄食减少。甘丙肽和Gal2R的表达不受母体饮食的影响。LPE组雄性大鼠和所有LP组雌性大鼠在光照下的总运动活动减少，但在黑暗中没有减少。
老年大鼠的运动活动和进食行为受到产前编程的影响。胎儿期营养不良在没有产后饮食挑战的情况下不会导致大鼠肥胖。
