ABSTRACT
AIM: The maternal environment during pregnancy and lactation plays a determining role in programming energy metabolism in offspring. Among a myriad of maternal factors, disruptions in the light/dark cycle during pregnancy can program glucose intolerance in offspring. Out-of-phase feeding has recently been reported to influence metabolism in adult humans and rodents; however, it is not known whether this environmental factor impacts offspring metabolism when applied during pregnancy and lactation. This study aims to determine whether maternal day-restricted feeding (DF) influences energy metabolism in offspring. METHODS: Pregnant and lactating Wistar rats were subjected to ad libitum (AL) or DF during pregnancy and lactation. The offspring born to the AL and DF dams were intra- and interfostered, which resulted in 4 group types. RESULTS: The male offspring born to and breastfed by the DF dams (DF/DF off) were glucose intolerant, but without parallel insulin resistance as adults. Experiments with isolated pancreatic islets demonstrated that the male DF/DF off rats had reduced insulin secretion with no parallel disruption in calcium handling. However, this reduction in insulin secretion was accompanied by increased miRNA-29a and miRNA34a expression and decreased syntaxin 1a protein levels. CONCLUSION: We conclude that out-of-phase feeding during pregnancy and lactation can lead to glucose intolerance in male offspring, which is caused by a disruption in insulin secretion capacity. This metabolic programming is possibly caused by mechanisms dependent on miRNA modulation of syntaxin 1a.
Subject(s)
Caloric Restriction/adverse effects , Insulin/metabolism , Lactation/physiology , Pregnancy, Animal/metabolism , Animals , Calcium/metabolism , Energy Metabolism/physiology , Female , Glucose Intolerance/metabolism , In Vitro Techniques , Insulin Secretion , Islets of Langerhans/metabolism , Male , MicroRNAs/biosynthesis , MicroRNAs/genetics , NADP/metabolism , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Syntaxin 1/biosynthesis , Syntaxin 1/geneticsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of preterm birth on health status (HS) development at the ages of 5 and 10 years in a cohort of children born before term. SAMPLE: Six hundred eighty-eight children, born in 1983 with a gestational age of <32 weeks and a birth weight of <1500 g. DESIGN: Prospectively collected HS variables, obtained from the parents, were analyzed in a longitudinal perspective by using principal component analyses. RESULTS: One third of the sample had minor to severe HS problems at both ages of measurement. One third had problems on one assessment only. The remainder of the sample had no HS problems at either age. The analyses grouped the HS variables into 3 combinations. Problems in basic functioning, such as mobility or speech, decreased with age. Negative moods substantially increased, and concentration problems increased slightly. Specifically at risk were preterm born children with handicaps, boys, and children who were small for gestational age. CONCLUSION: According to the parents, one third of the cohort had no HS problems at either age. The pattern of HS problems of the preterm born children changed between 5 and 10 years of age.