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Effects of Pituitary Hormone Deficiency on Growth and Glucose Metabolism of the Sheep Fetus

Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: A. L. Fowden, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiology Building, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom. E-mail: alf1000{at}cam.ac.uk.

Pituitary hormones are essential for normal growth and metabolic responsiveness after birth, but their role before birth remains unclear. This study examined the effects of hypophysectomizing fetal sheep on their growth and glucose metabolism during the late normal and extended periods of gestation, and on their metabolic response to maternal fasting for 48 h near term. Fetal hypophysectomy reduced crown rump length (CRL), limb lengths, and body weight but increased ponderal index relative to controls near normal term. It also lowered the daily rate of crown rump length increment uniformly from 35 d before, to 20 d after normal term. Hypophysectomized (HX) fetuses had normal weight-specific rates of umbilical uptake, utilization, and oxidation of glucose but lower rates of umbilical oxygen uptake than controls near term. All these metabolic rates were significantly less in HX fetuses during the extended period of gestation than in HX and intact fetuses near normal term. In contrast to controls, glucogenesis was negligible in HX fetuses during maternal fasting. Consequently, the rate of glucose utilization decreased significantly in fasted HX but not intact fetuses. Conversely, the rate of CO₂ production from glucose carbon decreased in fasted intact but not HX fetuses. Fetal hypophysectomy also prevented the fasting-induced increases in plasma cortisol and norepinephrine concentrations seen in controls. These findings demonstrate that the pituitary hormones are important in regulating the growth rate and adaptive responses of glucose metabolism to undernutrition in fetal sheep. They also suggest that fetal metabolism is altered when gestational length is extended.

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