D-cycloserine and early ethanol exposure in developing rats.

Pregnant rats were exposed to one of the following treatments: 20% aqueous sucrose (w/v; Control), 20% aqueous sucrose with 20 mg D-cycloserine (DCS), 20% aqueous sucrose with 5% ethanol (ETH), or 20% aqueous sucrose with both 20 mg DCS and 5% ethanol (DCS+ ETH). Treatments were delivered in 20 ml of drinking water provided daily, as pilot work had determined that this was the average daily water consumption for female rats. Treatments began on Day 10 or 11 of pregnancy and terminated on postnatal Day 10. As juveniles, offspring were tested for activity in an open field and motor coordination using a rotating rod. Ethanol and DCS+ Ethanol groups were the most active groups in the open field, and DCS and DCS+ Ethanol groups had fewer falls than the Control and Ethanol groups on the rod test. Results suggest that DCS might provide protection from ethanol's adverse effects on some developmental behaviors.

Human milk and infant formula can induce in vitro adipocyte differentiation in murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

The potential of infant diet to influence fat cell development has largely been examined in clinical studies with conflicting results. In this study, the direct effects of two standard infant formulas, Enfamil and Similac, as well as human milk were examined using a well characterized model of adipocyte differentiation, the 3T3-L1 murine preadipocyte cell line. After exposure to a hormonal regimen of insulin, dexamethasone, and 1-methyl-3-isobutylmethylxanthine, these cells undergo a mitotic expansion phase followed by terminal differentiation. On d 4 of hormonal exposure, greater than 95% of 3T3-L1 cells exhibit the morphologic and biochemical characteristics of mature adipocytes. In this study, cells were exposed to control medium, or control medium supplemented with either 10% Enfamil, 10% Similac, 10% human milk (skim or whole), or the standard hormonal regimen. Oil Red O-detectable lipid accumulation, immunocytochemical cell proliferation assays, and activated expression of adipocyte differentiation-specific mRNAs by Northern blot analysis were used to assess the effects of treatment on adipocyte differentiation. Results from each level of assessment revealed that both Enfamil and human milk were as effective as the standard hormonal regimen at stimulating adipocyte differentiation. In contrast, results from treatment with Similac or human skim milk were indistinguishable from control unstimulated cells. This study, demonstrating that Enfamil and human milk are capable of independently inducing in vitro adipocyte differentiation, suggests that diet during infancy could influence body fat development.