Abstract # 2064 Hypercaloric diet in juvenile rats ameliorates sexual impairments and the increased TNF-alpha levels induced by maternal food restriction

The present study investigated whether a hypercaloric diet that is administered in rats during the juvenile period prevents sexual impairments that are caused by maternal food restriction and the tendency to become overweight/obese. Female rats were prenatally fed a 40% restricted diet from gestational day 2 to 18. The pups received a hypercaloric diet from postnatal day (PND) 23 to 65 (food restricted associated to hypercaloric [FRH] group) or laboratory chow (food restricted control [FRC] group). Pups from non-food-restricted dams received laboratory chow during the entire experiment (non-food-restricted [NFR] group). During the juvenile period and adulthood, body weight gain was evaluated weekly. Sexual behavior, hypodermal adiposity, and serum TNF-alpha levels were evaluated. Because obesity/overweight is related to inflammatory process the TNF-alpha study is important. The FRH group exhibited an increase in body weight on PND58 and 65. The FRC group exhibited an increase in the latency to the first mount and intromission, i.e., sexual behavior impairment. FRC also exhibited an increase in TNF-alpha levels. The hypercaloric diet reversed all of these behavioral and immune disturbances, but increased adiposity. We concluded that the hypercaloric diet administered during the juvenile period attenuated reproductive and immune disturbances that were induced by maternal food restriction, but did not reduce the tendency to become overweight/obese. The present results seem to be related to the thrifty phenotype hypothesis.