Maternal food restriction and its impact on offspring's development of thermoregulation

Background: Previous study from our laboratory has shown that intrauterine food restriction (IUFR) delayed thermoregulation of the newborns. In neonates brown adipose tissue (BAT) is essential for thermogenesis mainly due to the presence of uncoupling proteins (UCPs) and their expression can be modified by action of hormones such as thyroid hormone, leptin and insulin, which can be affected by food restriction. The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca++ ATPase, (SERCA1) recently identified in BAT may contribute to heat production. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the protein expression of UCP1, UCP2, UCP3 and SERCA1 in BAT and UCP3 and SERCA1 in skeletal muscle (SM) and the plasmatic concentration of insulin, leptin, T3 and T4 of newborn rats exposed to IUFR. Methods: Female Wistar EPM-1 control rats received chow ad libitum during pregnancy period (C) and food-restricted rats (R) received 50% of the amount ingested by C. Fifteen hours after birth, newborns were weighted and sacrificed by decapitation. Blood was collected for determination of insulin, leptin, T3 and T4 by ELISA. BAT and SM were used for determination of protein expression (UCPs and SERCA1) by immunohistochemistry. Unpaired Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis of the results (p