Combined effects of caffeine and malnutrition on the development of the trigeminal nuclear center: autoradiographic and biochemical studies.

Six groups of pregnant dams were each fed a 20%, 12%, and 6% protein diet with and without caffeine (2 mg/100 g b.wt), starting on day 7 of gestation. Dams of each group were injected with two successive daily doses of 3H-thymidine in an overlapping series beginning on day 7 and ending on day 16 of gestation. At day 15 postbirth, brains of the offspring were removed, fixed and embedded. Neurogenesis in the rat trigeminal motor nucleus was examined by radiogram in serial sections. In general, the peak production of the neurons of the motor nucleus of V in the malnourished group of the control was on embryonic (E) days E10 + 11, whereas that of the caffeine group was E11 + 12. In the normally nourished group, peak production in the control was E9 + 10, whereas in the caffeine group it was E11 + 12. Trigeminal areas from the brains of pups of each group, which were kept frozen from our previous studies on suckling behavior (23), were used to analyze DNA, protein and cholesterol levels in the present study. At day 1 caffeine's effects on DNA, protein and cholesterol concentrations of the trigeminal area between the groups were different, depending upon the nutritional status. At day 15, those parameters in the caffeine group were greater although no caffeine was added to the lactating dams' diet. This study again demonstrated that prenatal caffeine intake in combination with protein-energy malnutrition produces permanent effects on the trigeminal nuclear center indicated by autoradiography and changes in biochemical parameters.