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Prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids affects body weight, serum leptin levels, and hypothalamic neuropeptide‐Y expression in pre‐pubertal female rat offspring
Author(s) -
Iwasa Takeshi,
Matsuzaki Toshiya,
Munkhzaya Munkhsaikhan,
Tungalagsuvd Altankhuu,
Kawami Takako,
Murakami Masahiro,
Yamasaki Mikio,
Kato Takeshi,
Kuwahara Akira,
Yasui Toshiyuki,
Irahara Minoru
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.03.011
Subject(s) - offspring , endocrinology , medicine , leptin , neuropeptide y receptor , glucocorticoid , pregnancy , biology , obesity , neuropeptide , genetics , receptor
Glucocorticoid secretion is a key endocrine response to stress. It has been reported that prenatal stress induces long‐lasting alterations in body weight regulation systems, which persist after the stress has ceased. In this study, the long‐term effects of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure on body weight changes and the expression of appetite‐regulating factors were examined in female rats. Pregnant rats were given normal drinking water (control) or dexamethasone (1 μg/mL) dissolved in drinking water (DEX) from day 13 of pregnancy until delivery. Then, the body weight change, serum leptin levels, and hypothalamic NPY mRNA levels of their offspring were examined. The DEX dams gained significantly less body weight during pregnancy than the control dams. The DEX dams' offspring exhibited a significantly lower birth weight than the offspring of the control dams, and the same was true for body weight at postnatal days 20 and 28. The offspring of the DEX dams displayed significantly higher serum leptin levels and significantly lower hypothalamic NPY mRNA levels compared with the offspring of the control dams. Significant inverse correlations were detected between body weight and the serum leptin level, and between the serum leptin level and the hypothalamic NPY mRNA level. On the other hand, a significant positive correlation was detected between body weight and the hypothalamic NPY mRNA level. These results indicate that leptin production is increased in a long‐lasting manner in offspring exposed to glucocorticoids during the prenatal period and that this results in attenuated body weight gain and hypothalamic NPY expression during the pre‐pubertal period.