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Carrillo B, Fernandez-Garcia JM, García-Úbeda R, Grassi D, Primo U, Blanco N, Ballesta A, Arevalo MA, Collado P, Pinos H. Neonatal inhibition of androgen activity alters the programming of body weight and orexinergic peptides differentially in male and female rats. Brain Res Bull 2024; 208:110898. [PMID: 38360152 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The involvement of androgens in the regulation of energy metabolism has been demonstrated. The main objective of the present research was to study the involvement of androgens in both the programming of energy metabolism and the regulatory peptides associated with feeding. For this purpose, androgen receptors and the main metabolic pathways of testosterone were inhibited during the first five days of postnatal life in male and female Wistar rats. Pups received a daily s.c. injection from the day of birth, postnatal day (P) 1, to P5 of Flutamide (a competitive inhibitor of androgen receptors), Letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor), Finasteride (a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor) or vehicle. Body weight, food intake and fat pads were measured. Moreover, hypothalamic Agouti-related peptide (AgRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), orexin, and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. The inhibition of androgenic activity during the first five days of life produced a significant decrease in body weight in females at P90 but did not affect this parameter in males. Moreover, the inhibition of aromatase decreased hypothalamic AgRP mRNA levels in males while the inhibition of 5α-reductase decreased hypothalamic AgRP and orexin mRNA levels in female rats. Finally, food intake and visceral fat, but not subcutaneous fat, were affected in both males and females depending on which testosterone metabolic pathway was inhibited. Our results highlight the differential involvement of androgens in the programming of energy metabolism as well as the AgRP and orexin systems during development in male and female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Carrillo
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Manuel Fernandez-Garcia
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain; Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Villanueva Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío García-Úbeda
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniela Grassi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ulises Primo
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
| | - Noemí Blanco
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Ballesta
- Department of Psychobiology, Centro de Enseñanza Superior Cardenal Cisneros, Spain
| | - Maria Angeles Arevalo
- Neuroactive Steroids Lab, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paloma Collado
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Helena Pinos
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain.
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Pinos H, Sánchez-Serrano R, Carrillo B, Fernández-García JM, García-Úbeda R, de Paz A, López-Tolsa GE, Vidal P, Gutiérrez-Ferre V, Pellón R, Collado P. Activity-based anorexia alters hypothalamic POMC and orexin populations in male rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 436:114055. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Blanco N, Fernández-García JM, Carrillo B, Ballesta A, García-Úbeda R, Collado P, Pinos H. Prenatal Low-Protein and Low-Calorie Diets Differentially Alter Arcuate Nucleus Morphology in Newborn Male Rats. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:896732. [PMID: 35783578 PMCID: PMC9243364 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.896732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundMalnutrition during the early stages of development produces alterations that can compromise the functioning of the hypothalamic circuits that regulate food intake. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects that a low-protein and low-calorie diet has on the morphology of the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus in newborn male and female rats.MethodsOn gestational day 6 (G6), six pregnant rats were divided into two groups. One group was made up of three pregnant rats, which were fed ad libitum with a control diet (20% casein), and the other one was made up of three pregnant rats, which were fed ad libitum with a low-protein diet (8% casein) and 30% of a calorie-restricted diet. On the day of birth, pups were sacrificed, resulting in four experimental groups: control male, control female, low-protein and low-calorie diet male, and low-protein and low-calorie diet female (n = 5 in each group). The volume and number of neurons, together with the neuronal density and number of apoptotic cells, were measured.ResultsMales on a low-protein and low-calorie diet showed a significant increase in the number of neurons and in the neuronal density of the ARC with regard to the rest of the groups studied. These increases were also reflected in the posterior part of the nucleus. Although the existence of sexual dimorphism was not detected in any of the parameters studied in the control groups, the number of neurons and neuronal density showed differences between males and females fed with a low-protein and low-calorie diets due to the increase in the number of neurons shown by the male. No significant differences were found in the number of apoptotic cells.ConclusionOur results show that a low-protein and low-calorie diet during the prenatal stage produces alterations in the ARC of the hypothalamus in newborn animals and, more importantly, that the effects of malnutrition are evident in males but not in females. Therefore, it is essential to follow a balanced diet during the early stages of life to ensure optimal development of the neural circuits that regulate eating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemí Blanco
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Manuel Fernández-García
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Villanueva Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Carrillo
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Ballesta
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío García-Úbeda
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paloma Collado
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Helena Pinos
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Helena Pinos,
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Rivera P, Guerra-Cantera S, Vargas A, Díaz F, García-Úbeda R, Tovar R, Ramírez-López MT, Argente J, de Fonseca FR, Suárez J, Chowen JA. Maternal hypercaloric diet affects factors involved in lipid metabolism and the endogenous cannabinoid systems in the hypothalamus of adult offspring: sex-specific response of astrocytes to palmitic acid and anandamide. Nutr Neurosci 2020; 25:931-944. [PMID: 32954972 DOI: 10.1080/1028415x.2020.1821519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Aim: We aimed to investigate whether maternal malnutrition during gestation/lactation induces long-lasting changes on inflammation, lipid metabolism and endocannabinoid signaling in the adult offspring hypothalamus and the role of hypothalamic astrocytes in these changes.Methods: We analyzed the effects of a free-choice hypercaloric palatable diet (P) during (pre)gestation, lactation and/or post-weaning on inflammation, lipid metabolism and endogenous cannabinoid signaling in the adult offspring hypothalamus. We also evaluated the response of primary hypothalamic astrocytes to palmitic acid and anandamide.Results: Postnatal exposure to a P diet induced factors involved in hypothalamic inflammation (Tnfa and Il6) and gliosis (Gfap, vimentin and Iba1) in adult offspring, being more significant in females. In contrast, maternal P diet reduced factors involved in astrogliosis (vimentin), fatty acid oxidation (Cpt1a) and monounsaturated fatty acid synthesis (Scd1). These changes were accompanied by an increase in the expression of the genes for the cannabinoid receptor (Cnr1) and Nape-pld, an enzyme involved in endocannabinoid synthesis, in females and a decrease in the endocannabinoid degradation enzyme Faah in males. These changes suggest that the maternal P diet results in sex-specific alterations in hypothalamic endocannabinoid signaling and lipid metabolism. This hypothesis was tested in hypothalamic astrocyte cultures, where palmitic acid (PA) and the polyunsaturated fatty acid N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide or AEA) were found to induce similar changes in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and lipid metabolism.Conclusion: These results stress the importance of both maternal diet and sex in long term metabolic programming and suggest a possible role of hypothalamic astrocytes in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Rivera
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Santiago Guerra-Cantera
- Department of Endocrinology, Fundación Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.,CIBEROBN (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Vargas
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisca Díaz
- Department of Endocrinology, Fundación Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.,CIBEROBN (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío García-Úbeda
- Department of Endocrinology, Fundación Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica la Princesa, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rubén Tovar
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Jesús Argente
- Department of Endocrinology, Fundación Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.,CIBEROBN (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Autonóma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Suárez
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Julie A Chowen
- Department of Endocrinology, Fundación Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.,CIBEROBN (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,IMDEA Food Institute, CEI UAM + CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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