Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: to investigate whether periconceptual undernutrition in sheep alters the timing and activation of the fetal HPA axis and thus pregnancy duration. Preterm birth is a major health problem, but its causes are poorly understood.Methods: Twentyeight nulliparous ewes were randomly assigned to an ad libitum (N, n=8) or restricted diet (maternal body weight reduced by 15-20%; UN, N=10) from 61 d before to 30 d after mating. Therea...

Glucocorticoids are known to have a role in the programming of appetite regulation but the mechanisms have not been fully delineated. This study examined the effect of maternal undernutrition on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) as a key regulator of the appetite regulating neuropeptides, proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the hypothalamus.Ewes were undernourished (UN, n=4) for 30 days pre- and 60 days post-mating or given normal fe...

Maternal undernutrition influences the development of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in the adult offspring. Programming of key genes involved in hypothalamic appetite regulation such as proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) may affect energy balance in adulthood. These changes may occur by alterations in gene expression or epigenetic changes including histone acetylation and DNA methylation. This study aims to examine the effects of maternal undernutritio...

Increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity in the fetus is a consistent event across different animal species, including the human. Fetal HPA activation contributes both to maturation of organ systems required for extra-uterine life and provides the trigger for the birth process. Precocious activation of the fetal HPA axis, for example in response to an adverse intrauterine environment or periconceptual undernutrition may result in increased incidence of preterm b...