Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Campus Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - UFSC, Campus Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Campus Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2021 Sep;212:105941. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.105941. Epub 2021 Jun 18.
The overexposure to synthetic glucocorticoids (GC) during pregnancy can predispose to metabolic diseases during adulthood. Vitamin D is not only crucial for fetal development, but also exerts direct effects on the GC sensitivity and down-regulates GC receptors. Given the vitamin D effects on glucocorticoid-related parameters, we aimed to investigate a possible protective role of maternal vitamin D administration on the glucose homeostasis of rats exposed to dexamethasone in utero.
Pregnant rats received dexamethasone (0.1 mg/kg, Dex) daily between the 14th and 19th days of pregnancy. A subgroup of dexamethasone-treated dams received oral administration of vitamin D (500UI, DexVD) during the whole gestation. The corresponding control groups of dams were included (CTL and VD groups, respectively). Male and female offspring were evaluated at 3, 6 and 12 months of age.
Prenatal exposure to dexamethasone caused metabolic disruption in an age and sex-dependent manner being the older male offspring more susceptible to insulin resistance, fatty liver and beta-cell mass expansion than females. Furthermore, we demonstrated that prenatal GC led to glucose intolerance in male and female offspring in an age-dependent manner. Maternal vitamin D administration did not influence glucose intolerance but attenuated the insulin resistance, liver lipid accumulation and prevented the beta-cell mass expansion caused by prenatal dexamethasone in the male offspring.
Maternal vitamin D administration mitigates metabolic disturbances that occur later in life in male rats exposed to GC in utero. Moreover, our data suggest vitamin D as an important nutritional supplement for pregnant overexposed to GC during gestation.
孕期暴露于合成糖皮质激素（GC）会使成年后患代谢疾病的风险增加。维生素 D 不仅对胎儿发育至关重要，而且对 GC 敏感性具有直接影响，并下调 GC 受体。鉴于维生素 D 对糖皮质激素相关参数的影响，我们旨在研究母体维生素 D 给药对宫内暴露于地塞米松的大鼠葡萄糖稳态的可能保护作用。
怀孕大鼠在妊娠第 14 天至第 19 天期间每天接受地塞米松（0.1mg/kg，Dex）治疗。一部分地塞米松处理的孕鼠在整个孕期接受维生素 D（500UI，DexVD）口服治疗。包括相应的对照组孕鼠（CTL 和 VD 组）。雄性和雌性后代在 3、6 和 12 个月时进行评估。
产前暴露于地塞米松以年龄和性别依赖的方式引起代谢紊乱，年龄较大的雄性后代比雌性后代更容易发生胰岛素抵抗、脂肪肝和β细胞质量扩张。此外，我们证明了产前 GC 以年龄依赖的方式导致雄性和雌性后代的葡萄糖不耐受。母体维生素 D 给药不会影响葡萄糖不耐受，但可减轻雄性后代由产前地塞米松引起的胰岛素抵抗、肝脂质堆积和β细胞质量扩张。
母体维生素 D 给药可减轻雄性大鼠宫内暴露于 GC 后生命后期发生的代谢紊乱。此外，我们的数据表明，维生素 D 是一种重要的营养补充剂，适用于孕期暴露于 GC 的孕妇。
