Basic nutritional investigationLong-term effect of green tea extract during lactation on AMPK expression in rat offspring exposed to fetal malnutrition

ObjectiveThe fetal and neonatal environments are important determinants of disease risk in adult life. The aim of this study was to determine whether maternal green tea extract (GTE) intake during lactation affects the expression and activity of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the kidneys of male offspring of protein-restricted dams during gestation.MethodsPregnant Wistar rats were fed control (C) or low-protein diets (LP) during gestation. Following delivery, dams received a control or GTE-containing control diet during lactation as follows: C on control diet (CC), LP on control diet (LPC), LP on 0.12% GTE-containing control diet (LPL), or LP on 0.24% GTE-containing control diet (LPH). Some of the male pups from each dam were sacrificed at week 3, and the remaining male pups were fed a standard diet and sacrificed at week 30. Blood chemistry and expression levels of AMPKα, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and Akt in the kidneys of the male offspring were examined.ResultsThe level of phosphorylated AMPKα in the LPH group at week 3 was higher than that in the LPC group. At week 30, the protein levels of total and phosphorylated AMPK in the LPL and LPH groups were lower than those in the LPC group. The protein levels of mTOR and Akt at week 30 in the LPL and LPH groups were lower than those in the LPC group.ConclusionGTE intake during lactation modulates AMPK, Akt, and mTOR expression in the kidneys of the adult male offspring of dams fed a protein-restricted diet and may induce long-term alterations in the expressions of these proteins in the kidneys.