Prenatal ethanol exposure enhances the susceptibility to metabolic syndrome in offspring rats by HPA axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programming.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The present study was designed to demonstrate that prenatal ethanol exposure (PEE) could enhance the susceptibility of high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome (MS) in adult male offspring via a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programmed mechanism.

METHODS:

Pregnant Wistar rats were intragastricly administrated ethanol 4 g/kg·d from gestational day 11 until term delivery. All male offspring were fed with high-fat diet after weaning, exposed to an unpredictable chronic stress at postnatal week (PW) 17 and sacrificed at PW20.

RESULTS:

In PEE group, body weight presented a "catch-up growth" pattern, and the HPA axis exhibited a lower basal activity but an enhanced sensitivity to chronic stress, leading to increased levels of serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistant index, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Furthermore, many lipid droplets and vacuolar degeneration were observed in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and liver.

CONCLUSIONS:

PEE induces enhanced susceptibility to MS in adult offspring fed with high-fat diet, and the underlying mechanism involves a HPA axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programming alteration.

• Authors: L P Xia, L Shen, H Kou, B J Zhang, L Zhang, Y Wu, X J Li, J Xiong, Y Yu, H Wang
• Journal: Toxicology letters (Toxicol Lett) Vol. 226 Issue 1 Pg. 98-105 (Apr 07 2014) ISSN: 1879-3169 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 24472613 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Blood Glucose
• Insulin
• Lipids
• Ethanol
• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
• Corticosterone

Topics

• Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (blood)
• Age Factors
• Animals
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Blood Glucose (metabolism)
• Corticosterone (blood)
• Diet, High-Fat
• Disease Susceptibility
• Ethanol (administration & dosage, toxicity)
• Female
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (blood, etiology, pathology, physiopathology)
• Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System (drug effects, metabolism, pathology, physiopathology)
• Insulin (blood)
• Lipids (blood)
• Liver (drug effects, metabolism)
• Male
• Maternal Exposure
• Metabolic Syndrome (blood, etiology, pathology, physiopathology)
• Pituitary-Adrenal System (drug effects, metabolism, pathology, physiopathology)
• Pregnancy
• Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Risk Factors
• Weight Gain (drug effects)