This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Delahaye, F. Articles by Vieau, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Delahaye, F. Articles by Vieau, D.

Maternal Perinatal Undernutrition Drastically Reduces Postnatal Leptin Surge and Affects the Development of Arcuate Nucleus Proopiomelanocortin Neurons in Neonatal Male Rat Pups

Unité de Neurosciences et Physiologie Adaptatives (F.D., C.B., M.E., I.D.-C., C.L., J.L., Equipe dénutritions maternelles périnatales, Equipe Associeé (EA) 4052, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cédex, France; and Université de Franche-Comté (P.-Y.R.), Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, EA 3922, Institut Fédératif de Recherche 133, 25000 Besançon, France

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Didier Vieau, Ph.D., Unité de Neurosciences et Physiologie Adaptatives, Equipe Associée 4052, Bâtiment SN4, 2ème étage, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cédex, France. E-mail: didier.vieau{at}univ-lille1.fr.

A growing body of evidence suggests that maternal undernutrition sensitizes the offspring to the development of energy balance metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity. The present study aimed at examining the impact of maternal undernutrition on leptin plasma levels in newborn male rats and on the arcuate nucleus proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons that are major leptin targets. Using a model of perinatal maternal 50% food-restricted diet (FR50) in the rat, we evaluated leptin plasma levels and hypothalamic POMC and NPY gene expression from postnatal day (PND) 4 to PND30 in both control and FR50 offspring. In control rats, a postnatal peak of plasma leptin was observed between PND4 and PND14 that reached a maximal value at PND10 (5.17 ± 0.53 ng/ml), whereas it was dramatically reduced in FR50 pups with the higher concentration at PND7 (0.93 ± 0.23 ng/ml). In FR50 animals, using semiquantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization, we showed that the hypothalamic POMC mRNA level was decreased from PND14 until PND30, whereas NPY gene expression was not significantly modified. In PND21 FR50 animals, we observed strikingly reduced immunoreactive β-endorphin nerve fibers projecting to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus without affecting NPY projections. Our data showed that maternal undernutrition drastically reduces the postnatal surge of plasma leptin, disturbing particularly the hypothalamic wiring as well as the gene expression of the anorexigenic POMC neurons in male rat pups. These alterations might contribute to the adult metabolic disorders resulting from perinatal growth retardation.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Coupe, I. Grit, D. Darmaun, and P. Parnet The timing of "catch-up growth" affects metabolism and appetite regulation in male rats born with intrauterine growth restriction Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2009; 297(3): R813 - R824. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. D Briana and A. Malamitsi-Puchner Intrauterine growth restriction and adult disease: the role of adipocytokines Eur. J. Endocrinol., March 1, 2009; 160(3): 337 - 347. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Breton, M.-A. Lukaszewski, P.-Y. Risold, M. Enache, J. Guillemot, G. Riviere, F. Delahaye, J. Lesage, I. Dutriez-Casteloot, C. Laborie, et al. Maternal prenatal undernutrition alters the response of POMC neurons to energy status variation in adult male rat offspring Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, March 1, 2009; 296(3): E462 - E472. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. C. Cottrell, R. L. Cripps, J. S. Duncan, P. Barrett, J. G. Mercer, A. Herwig, and S. E. Ozanne Developmental changes in hypothalamic leptin receptor: relationship with the postnatal leptin surge and energy balance neuropeptides in the postnatal rat Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, March 1, 2009; 296(3): R631 - R639. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Attig, J. Djiane, A. Gertler, O. Rampin, T. Larcher, S. Boukthir, P. M. Anton, J. Y. Madec, I. Gourdou, and L. Abdennebi-Najar Study of hypothalamic leptin receptor expression in low-birth-weight piglets and effects of leptin supplementation on neonatal growth and development Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, November 1, 2008; 295(5): E1117 - E1125. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Remmers, L. A. W. Verhagen, R. A. H. Adan, and H. A. Delemarre-van de Waal Hypothalamic Neuropeptide Expression of Juvenile and Middle-Aged Rats after Early Postnatal Food Restriction Endocrinology, July 1, 2008; 149(7): 3617 - 3625. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]