Protein restriction inhibits gastric cell proliferation during rat postnatal growth in parallel to ghrelin changes.

Objective: Gastric development depends directly on the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells, and these processes are controlled by multiple elements, such as diet, hormones, and growth factors. Protein restriction affects gastrointestinal functions, but its effects on gastric growth are not fully understood.

Methods: The present study evaluated cell proliferation in the gastric epithelia of rats subjected to protein restriction since gestation.

Fasting differentially regulates plasma corticosterone-binding globulin, glucocorticoid receptor, and cell cycle in the gastric mucosa of pups and adult rats.

The nutritional status influences gastric growth, and interestingly, whereas cell proliferation is stimulated by fasting in suckling rats, it is inhibited in adult animals. Corticosterone takes part in the mechanisms that govern development, and its effects are regulated in particular by corticosterone-binding globulin (CBG) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). To investigate whether corticosterone activity responds to fasting and how possible changes might control gastric epithelial cell cycle, we evaluated different parameters during the progression of fasting in 18- and 40-day-old rats.