Effects of hexarelin (a ghrelin analogue) on fertilisation and the pre- and postnatal development of mice.

EUGENIA LUQUE; VALERIA PAOLA CARLINI; LAURA VICENTI; PATRICIA PUECHAGUT; GRACIELA STUTZ; MARIA EMILIA SANTILLÁN; RUBEN DANIEL RUIZ; ANA CAROLINA MARTINI; MARTA FIOL DE CUNEO

CSIRO PUBLISHING

Año: 2010 vol. 22 p. 926 - 926

hrelin (Ghr) has been associated with reproductive physiology and pre- and postnatal development. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the effects of hexarelin (HEX; 100 or 200 mgkg1 day1), a therapeutic Ghr analogue, on: (1) embryo development 60 h post ovulation, induced pharmacologically, in pregnant mice; (2) the physical, neurobiological and sexual development of offspring of female mice injected with HEX during the first, second or third week of pregnancy or throughout the entire pregnancy; and (3) adult memory acquisition in these offspring. We also evaluated the effects of chronic HEX administration on memory acquisition in adult mice. Treatment of non-pregnant female mice with HEX decreased ovulation rate. However, treatment of pregnant mice with HEX at any time during pregnancy tended to accelerate offspring maturation, regardless of bodyweight. This effect was only significant on neurobiological parameters following treatment during the first week. HEX treat