Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Epidemiological evidence suggests that a poor diet during pregnancy leads to offspring with higher risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. Our previous work in sheep showed that mild protein-energy malnutrition in early gestation results in decreased insulin signalling in the liver, and changes in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the kidney. The current study explored whether these changes are generalised phenomena, or organ-specific.<p class="abst...

Various programming stimuli have been postulated to permanently influence fetal development with the common result that offspring exhibit differing degrees of insulin resistance. We set out to establish whether protein restriction, high glucose, glucocorticoid or alcohol exposure might exert their effects directly using a derived population of fetal hepatocytes. Cells were isolated from fetal mouse livers (n=10) at embryonic day 12. Fetal livers were rinsed in phosphate...

Background: A moderately high fructose diet fed to rat dams shifts the secondary sex ratio in the litters towards males. These dams, as well as diabetic pregnant mice, have elevated plasma glucose. Hence, high uterine fluid glucose or a hormone that may mark high glucose, may result in preferential selection of Y-bearing sperm at the point of fertilisation through effects of glucose on sperm motility. In this study, we assessed sperm motility after incubation in media with/wit...

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common and serious, with no specific treatment. AKI may increase the risk of dysfunction in organs other than the kidney, further increasing the morbidity associated with AKI. The mechanisms of organ cross-talk after AKI are unclear. Small animal models have suggested that infiltration of inflammatory cytokines into extra-renal organs leads to cellular extravasation, oedema and further injury. In this study we used a large animal model ...

Background: Previous studies have linked a low protein maternal diet with hypertension in adult offspring, and have suggested that impaired kidney development may be an important predisposing factor. This study aims to identify the molecular and structural changes that explain the decline in function.Methods: Pregnant ewes were fed either a control diet providing adequate dietary protein (control protein (CP); n=15), or a low protein diet during e...

Maternal nutrient restriction predisposes the adult offspring to metabolic syndrome. We investigated the effect of energy restriction during early or late gestation on glucose-insulin dynamics during a GTT (0.5 g/kg i.v. glucose) and/or an ITT (0.75 IU/kg) prior to and after significant gain in adipose tissue. 20 sheep were either fed to maintenance (1 M; CE, n=6) or to 0.65 M during early (0–65 days, term=147days, LEE, n=7) or late (65–125 days, LEL; <...