| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3001987 | Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases | 2015 | 8 Pages |
•Maternal protein undernutrition induces hypertension in the 90-day-old male offspring.•Adult rats show larger low-frequency oscillations and sympathetic tone.•Protein undernutrition perinatal induces sympathetic overactivity in the offspring.•Autonomic imbalance may contribute to the development of hypertension in this model.
Background and aimsMaternal undernutrition induces development of the arterial hypertension. We investigated the effects of a maternal low-protein diet on cardiovascular autonomic control in the offspring.Methods and resultsMale Wistar rats were divided into two groups according to the diets of their mothers during gestation and lactation: the control (normal protein, NP, 17% casein; n = 14) and low-protein (LP, 8% casein; n = 14) groups. Direct measurements of arterial pressure (AP) were recorded from wakeful 90-day-old male offspring. The LP offspring presented higher mean AP than did the NP rats (NP: 93 ± 4 vs. LP: 113 ± 2 mmHg; p < 0.05), whereas the heart rate (HR) was similar in the two groups. In the spectral analysis, the LP group showed higher power at low (NP: 1.98 ± 0.25 vs. LP: 3.7 ± 0.3 mmHg²; p < 0.05) and high (NP: 1.28 ± 0.18 vs. LP: 2.13 ± 0.42 mmHg²; p < 0.05) frequencies of systolic arterial pressure (SAP). In the pulse interval, the LP group presented an increase in the LF/HF ratio (NP: 0.32 vs. LP: 0.56; p < 0.05). After propranolol (4 mg/kg, intravenous (iv)), the bradycardia was higher in the LP group (NP: −36 ± 8 vs. LP: −94 ± 12 bpm; p < 0.05), after methylatropine (2 mg/kg, iv), the tachycardia was similar to NP group. After administration of the ganglionic blocker (hexamethonium; 25 mg/kg, iv), the LP animals showed larger delta variation in the AP (NP: −33.7 ± 5 vs. LP: −53.6 ± 4 mmHg; p < 0.05).ConclusionThe rats subjected to protein malnutrition presented an increase in the cardiovascular sympathetic tone, which contributed to the elevated AP observed in these animals.
