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Prenatal undernutrition increases the febrile response to lipopolysaccharides in adulthood in male rats
Author(s) -
Iwasa Takeshi,
Matsuzaki Toshiya,
Tungalagsuvd Altankhuu,
Munkhzaya Munkhsaikhan,
Kuwahara Akira,
Yasui Toshiyuki,
Irahara Minoru
Publication year - 2015
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.2015.04.004
Subject(s) - endocrinology , medicine , offspring , anorectic , immune system , tlr4 , hypothalamus , malnutrition , pregnancy , inflammation , biology , body weight , immunology , genetics
It has been reported that prenatal undernutrition affects the development of the peripheral immune system. In this study, the effects of prenatal undernutrition on the febrile response and hypothalamic innate immune system were evaluated in male rats. Pregnant rats were divided into normally nourished (NN) and undernourished groups (UN). The febrile and anorectic responses to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were evaluated in the offspring of NN and UN dams. The hypothalamic expression levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were also evaluated. The UN rats exhibited significantly lighter body weights than the NN rats at birth; however, their mean body weight was the same as that of the NN rats by postnatal day 10. In adulthood, the UN rats exhibited significantly stronger febrile responses than the NN rats, and the anorectic responses of the UN rats also tended to be stronger than those of the NN rats. On the other hand, no differences in hypothalamic interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐α, TLR4, or NPY mRNA expression were detected between the NN and UN rats. These results suggest that prenatal undernutrition has long‐lasting effects on the febrile response to LPS. However, the precise mechanism underlying these effects and their pathophysiological significance remain unclear.