Maternal starvation is a significant cause of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in the world and increases the risk of infection in the neonate. We examined the effect of maternal starvation on Toll like receptor (TLR)4 expression in hepatic, splenic and intestinal tissues obtained from the adult IUGR offspring of prenatal calorie restricted rats. The hepatic TLR4 protein concentration was undetectable in the IUGR rats that had restricted milk intake during the suckling period (SM/SP; n = 4. p < 0.05) as compared to the normal growth controls (CM/CP; n = 4), and access to ad lib milk intake during the sucking period partially corrected the hepatic TLR4 expression (SM/CP; n = 4). IUGR had no effect on the splenic (n = 4) or intestinal (n = 4) TLR4 mRNA levels. In the liver, IUGR led to a 20% increase in baseline tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mRNA expression (p < 0.03) and a 70% increase in interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) mRNA expression (p < 0.008) as compared to the control rats (CM/CP; n = 7). LPS-induced hepatic TNF-alpha release was significantly higher in SM/SP as compared to CM/CP. We propose that IUGR dysregulates TLR4 expression and function in the offspring, which may help explain the increased risk of Gram-negative sepsis and inflammatory diseases in this population.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2270725PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17402520400008905DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

tlr4 expression
12
growth restriction
8
expression function
8
maternal starvation
8
splenic intestinal
8
hepatic tlr4
8
milk intake
8
mrna expression
8
expression
6
iugr
6

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!