Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Altering maternal nutrition affects fetal development, potentially predisposing them to later metabolic disease. Tissue sensitivity to cortisol is regulated, in part, by GR and 11βhsd1 and 2, and GR and 11βhsd1 expression is known to be raised both with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: To examine whether gestational diet influences GR and11βhsd1 and 2 mRNA expression in the neonatal liver.

Methods: Pregnant sows were fed one of six isoenergetic diets (Table). Sows fed on a low-high feeding scheme were fed 2.7 kg/d between day 0 and day 40 of gestation and 3.5 kg/d between day 70 and day 110 of gestation. The dietary regimes were reversed for sows fed on a high-low feeding scheme. At 7 days one small and one median piglet per litter were selected, humanely euthanized and its liver sampled. GR and 11βhsd1 and 2 mRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR. Values are presented as arbitrary units.

Results: Median size piglets born to sows fed high protein had increased (P<0.05) expression of GR (control: 0.57±0.15; 3: 1.05±0.19; 6: 1.70±0.44) and 11βhsd1 (control: 2.47±0.76; 3: 6.53±1.44; 6: 12.12±2.20) compared to controls. In contrast, expression of 11βhsd2 in the liver of the small piglets born to sows fed high levels of the high fat diet during late gestation (diet 5) was increased (P<0.05) when compared to sows fed the same diet at high levels during early gestation (diet 2) (2: 0.10±0.04; 5: 0.30±0.06).

Conclusion: Changes in GR and 11βhsd1 expression indicate increased sensitivity to glucocorticoids in the liver at 1 week of age in piglets born to sows fed a high protein diet during gestation. Further studies are currently in progress to investigate whether these changes persist into adulthood.