| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Departments of Physiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology (F.H.B., C.D.G., J.R.G.C.), University of Toronto, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Group in Fetal and Neonatal Health and Development (F.H.B., C.D.G., J.R.G.C.), Toronto, Canada M5S 1A8; and The Liggins Institute (F.H.B., M.H.O., P.D.G., J.E.H.), University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Frank Bloomfield, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. E-mail: f.bloomfield{at}auckland.ac.nz.
Reduced size at birth in humans has been associated with altered function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in childhood and adult life. Experimentally, maternal undernutrition has also been associated with altered fetal HPA function. However, the relationship between birth size, fetal nutrition, and adult pathophysiology is not clear. We recently have reported that glucose tolerance, blood pressure, and IGF-I levels in adult sheep were more closely associated with birth weight than with nutritional insult in late gestation or with current weight. Here, we report adult HPA function in the same group of animals.
Pregnant ewes were severely undernourished for 10 d (UN10) or 20 d (UN20) from 105 d gestation (term, 146 d), or were ad libitum-fed controls. At 30 months, female offspring were subjected to an insulin tolerance test and a CRH plus arginine vasopressin (AVP) challenge. UN20 lambs were lighter at birth, but there were no significant differences in weight at 30 months. Adult UN10 ewes had an increased ACTH response to both CRH+AVP challenge and insulin tolerance test, but no differences in cortisol response. UN10 ewes also demonstrated elevated 11-deoxycortisol concentrations, but lower progesterone concentrations, in response to CRH+AVP challenge. In contrast, the responses of UN20 ewes to these challenges were not different from ad libitum controls. Protein levels of P450c17 and P45011ß1 were not significantly different among groups.
We conclude that brief maternal undernutrition for 10 d, but not 20 d, in late gestation alters HPA function in adult offspring. In contrast to our previous findings, these HPA effects are independent of birth weight and current weight, suggesting that different mechanisms may be involved in programming different physiological axes.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  P. D. Gluckman, M. A. Hanson, C. Cooper, and K. L. Thornburg Effect of In Utero and Early-Life Conditions on Adult Health and Disease N. Engl. J. Med., July 3, 2008; 359(1): 61 - 73. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. W. H. Rumball, J. E. Harding, M. H. Oliver, and F. H. Bloomfield Effects of twin pregnancy and periconceptional undernutrition on maternal metabolism, fetal growth and glucose-insulin axis function in ovine pregnancy J. Physiol., March 1, 2008; 586(5): 1399 - 1411. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Braun, S. Li, T. J M Moss, J. P Newnham, J. R G Challis, P. D Gluckman, and D. M Sloboda Maternal betamethasone administration reduces binucleate cell number and placental lactogen in sheep J. Endocrinol., August 1, 2007; 194(2): 337 - 347. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S E Chadio, B Kotsampasi, G Papadomichelakis, S Deligeorgis, D Kalogiannis, I Menegatos, and G Zervas Impact of maternal undernutrition on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness in sheep at different ages postnatal J. Endocrinol., March 1, 2007; 192(3): 495 - 503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. L. Martin, K. A. Vonnahme, D. C. Adams, G. P. Lardy, and R. N. Funston Effects of dam nutrition on growth and reproductive performance of heifer calves J Anim Sci, March 1, 2007; 85(3): 841 - 847. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D S Gardner, P J Buttery, Z Daniel, and M E Symonds Factors affecting birth weight in sheep: maternal environment Reproduction, January 1, 2007; 133(1): 297 - 307. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. C Painter, S. R de Rooij, P. M Bossuyt, T. A Simmers, C. Osmond, D. J Barker, O. P Bleker, and T. J Roseboom Early onset of coronary artery disease after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, August 1, 2006; 84(2): 322 - 327. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D S Gardner, B W M Van Bon, J Dandrea, P J Goddard, S F May, V Wilson, T Stephenson, and M E Symonds Effect of periconceptional undernutrition and gender on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in young adult sheep. J. Endocrinol., August 1, 2006; 190(2): 203 - 212. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. R de Rooij, R. C Painter, D. I W Phillips, C. Osmond, R. P J Michels, P. M M Bossuyt, O. P Bleker, and T. J Roseboom Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in adults who were prenatally exposed to the Dutch famine. Eur. J. Endocrinol., July 1, 2006; 155(1): 153 - 160. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F H Bloomfield, M H Oliver, and J E Harding The late effects of fetal growth patterns. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed., July 1, 2006; 91(4): F299 - F304. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. L. Jaquiery, M. H. Oliver, F. H. Bloomfield, K. L. Connor, J. R. G. Challis, and J. E. Harding Fetal exposure to excess glucocorticoid is unlikely to explain the effects of periconceptional undernutrition in sheep J. Physiol., April 1, 2006; 572(1): 109 - 118. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 I. C. Mcmillen and J. S. Robinson Developmental Origins of the Metabolic Syndrome: Prediction, Plasticity, and Programming Physiol Rev, April 1, 2005; 85(2): 571 - 633. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 V. Kumarasamy, M. D. Mitchell, F. H. Bloomfield, M. H. Oliver, M. E Campbell, J. R. G. Challis, and J. E. Harding Effects of periconceptional undernutrition on the initiation of parturition in sheep Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, January 1, 2005; 288(1): R67 - R72. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F. H. Bloomfield, M. H. Oliver, P. Hawkins, A. C. Holloway, M. Campbell, P. D. Gluckman, J. E. Harding, and J. R. G. Challis Periconceptional Undernutrition in Sheep Accelerates Maturation of the Fetal Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Late Gestation Endocrinology, September 1, 2004; 145(9): 4278 - 4285. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. S. Gardner, S. Pearce, J. Dandrea, R. Walker, M. M. Ramsay, T. Stephenson, and M. E. Symonds Peri-Implantation Undernutrition Programs Blunted Angiotensin II Evoked Baroreflex Responses in Young Adult Sheep Hypertension, June 1, 2004; 43(6): 1290 - 1296. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A L Fowden and A J Forhead Endocrine mechanisms of intrauterine programming Reproduction, May 1, 2004; 127(5): 515 - 526. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Endocrinology | Endocrine Reviews | J. Clin. End. & Metab. |
| Molecular Endocrinology | Recent Prog. Horm. Res. | All Endocrine Journals |
