Effects of Maternal Protein Restriction Associated with Post-Weaning Sugar Consumption on the Morphophysiology of the Adrenal Gland in the Progeny of Aged Male Rats.

• Grant number: 24/23015-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Histology
• Principal Investigator: Luis Antonio Justulin Junior
• Grantee: Maria Clara Caruso Corso
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Adverse gestational conditions can lead to irreversible morphofunctional changes in the offspring, a concept known as Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). Maternal protein restriction (MPR), a model used in DOHaD studies, has been associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular and renal diseases, as well as affecting reproductive parameters and the development of certain types of cancer. Furthermore, postnatal exposure to hypercaloric/hyperlipidic diets may amplify the damage caused by MPR. There is evidence that the high consumption of ultraprocessed, hypercaloric foods rich in sugars and sodium has a significant relationship with the development of metabolic diseases throughout life. In this context, studies have shown that adrenal glands, essential organs in stress regulation and the production of crucial hormones, may also be affected by exposure to obesogenic diets. Thus, this project aims to identify the impact of MPR and/or postnatal sugar consumption on the adrenal glands of aged male rats. The rats were divided into the following experimental groups: 1- Control (CTR): Rats born to mothers that consumed normal chow (17% protein) and water ad libitum during gestation and lactation; 2- Control + sugar (CTR+SUG): The same treatment as CTR but consumed a sugar solution (10% diluted in water) from postnatal day (PND) 21 until PND 90; 3- Gestational and lactational protein restriction (GLLP): Rats born to mothers that consumed hypoproteic chow (6% protein) during gestation and lactation, later consuming normal chow and water ad libitum until PND 90; 4- Gestational and lactational protein restriction + sugar (GLLP+SUG): Rats born to mothers fed hypoproteic chow during gestation and lactation, which later consumed normal chow and sugar solution (10% diluted in water) ad libitum from postnatal day 21 until PND 90. At PND 540, the animals were euthanized, and the adrenal glands were collected for morphological and molecular analyses. The expected results are that both MPR and sugar consumption impact the metabolism and function of the adrenals during aging, with tissue and systemic consequences.