The impacts of maternal protein restriction on cardiac histophysiology in young female rats

• Grant number: 24/22273-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Histology
• Principal Investigator: Luis Antonio Justulin Junior
• Grantee: Luísa Correia Gomes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Numerous epidemiological and experimental studies associate maternal malnutrition as a risk factor for the development of diseases in offspring, including cardiovascular conditions. These conditions are linked to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), a concept that establishes the intrauterine and postnatal environment as a determinant for the developmental biology of offspring. One of the studied models is Maternal Protein Restriction (MPR), a condition during gestation and lactation that leads to hypertension and numerous impacts on the offspring, some of which can already be identified early in life. Therefore, the aim of this project is to evaluate the effects of MPR on the cardiovascular morphophysiology of female rats on postnatal day (PND) 21. For this purpose, Sprague Dawley rats will be used, divided into two groups: rats born to mothers fed with either a normoproteic diet (CTR, 17% protein) or a low-protein diet (LPD, 6%) during gestation and lactation. On PND 21, the rats will be analyzed via electrocardiogram or euthanized, and their hearts collected for morphological and molecular analyses. Considering that the literature demonstrates MPR as a risk factor for heart diseases, but mainly emphasizes this condition in males, this study will provide a sex-specific perspective on the adversities of maternal malnutrition. We believe that morphophysiological impacts will occur early in life; however, females may be less affected by MPR.