Prenatal Programming of Hypertension in the Rat: Effect of Postnatal Rearing

Background/Aims: Dietary protein deprivation during pregnancy causes hypertension in offspring when they become adults. This study examined if postnatal rearing had an effect on blood pressure and glomerular number in male rats whose mothers were fed either a control diet or a low protein diet. Methods: Neonates were cross fostered at 1 day of age to a different mother. After birth, all nursing and weaned rats were fed a control diet. Blood pressure and glomerular number were measured in adult offspring. Results: Control rats cross fostered to another control mother had a lower blood pressure than low protein rats cross fostered to another low protein mother (133 ± 4 vs. 151 ± 4 mm Hg, p Conclusion: The hypertension and reduced glomerular number resulting from prenatal dietary protein deprivation can be normalized by improving the postnatal environment