Intragestational role of ghrelin on offspring´s posnatal development and reproductive function.

TORRES PJ; LUQUE EM; DI GIORGIO N; DIEZ M; FIGUEROA S; CARLINI VP; VINCENTI LM; MARTINI AC

Mar del Plata

Congreso; SAIC-SAI-SAFE 2016; 2016

SAIC, SAI, SAFE y AACyTAL

It has been proposed that ghrelin (Ghr) exerts an important role in pregnancy success and offspring´s postnatal development. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of intragestational exogenous Ghr administration or endogenous Ghr inhibition (using an antagonist) on mice posnatal development.Dams were injected (s.c.) through pregnancy with: Ghr (4 nmol/animal/day), an antagonist (Ant: (D-Lys3)GHRP-6; 6 nmol/animal/day) or vehicle (C: isotonic solution). Their litters were evaluated for posnatal growth, neurobiologic development and sexual maturation and, at adulthood, for reproductive success. Results were analyzed using ANOVA.Neither daily intake nor dam´s weight was modified by the treatments. Litter growth or physical/neurobiological maturation were not altered either. Male offspring under intragestational treatment with Ant showed a faster sexual development (testicular descent day 19: Ant=64±5.9% vs Ghr=50.1±6.9% and C=44.9±7.9%, n=7-13 litters/treatment; p<0.05) and an increased peripuberal relative testicular weight (p<0.05). Female pups intragestationally exposed to Ant exhibited, at posnatal day 23, a higher ovarian volume (Ant=1085.7±64.0mm3 vs Ghr=663.3±102.8mm3 and C=512.3±116.4mm3; n=4-6 ovaries/treatment, p<0.01) and a higher number of follicles >200µ/ovary (p<0.05). No differences between groups or gender were detected on IGF-1 concentrations (140.0±15.3ng/ml, n=44). When adulthood was reached, male intragestationally exposed to Ant exhibited a smaller relative testicular weight and an increase in the percentage of immotile spermatozoa (Ant=35.5±3.3% vs Ghr=23.3±3.3% and C=25.4±3.5%, n=13-15 animals/treatment; p<0.05). No differences were detected in the pregnancy success of the female offspring. These results suggest that intragestational modifications on Ghr concentrations may exert long lasting effects on the litter sexual maturation and fertility.