Effects of maternal undernutrition during lactation on estrogen and androgen receptor expressions in rat ovary at puberty.

摘要

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal protein and energy-restricted diets during lactation in folliculogenesis and its relations to androgen and estrogen receptors in the offspring at puberty. METHODS: At parturition, dams were randomly assigned to a control (C) group, with free access to a standard laboratory diet containing 23% protein; a protein-energy-restricted (PER) group, with free access to an iso-energy and protein-restricted diet containing 8% protein; and an energy-restricted (ER) group, receiving standard laboratory diet in restricted quantities. After weaning, female pups had free access to standard laboratory diet. RESULTS: The number of preantral (C 13.72 +/- 2.87, PER 26.36 +/- 3.03, ER 26.88 +/- 2.31, P < 0.05) and small antral (C 9.32 +/- 1.32, PER 17.64 +/- 2.33, ER 17.04 +/- 2.22, P < 0.05) follicles was significantly increased by maternal malnutrition. The number of primordial follicles (C 10.57 +/- 1.61, PER 4.30 +/- 0.62, ER 6.28 +/- 1.30, P < 0.05), Graafian follicles (C 1.04 +/- 0.09, PER 0.52 +/- 0.10, ER 0.36 +/- 0.11, P < 0.01), and corpus luteum (C 4.84 +/- 0.62, PER 2.80 +/- 0.50, ER 3.24 +/- 0.27, P < 0.05) was significantly reduced. Maternal protein- and energy-restricted diets led to a significant decrease in the androgen (C 9815 +/- 1015, PER 6071 +/- 838.7, ER 5811 +/- 699.3, P < 0.05) and estrogen (C 0.79 +/- 0.244, PER 0.12 +/- 0.035, ER 0.20 +/- 0.036, P < 0.05) alpha-receptors. In growing follicles, androgen receptor was immuno-expressed in granulosa and theca cells. Estrogen receptor-alpha was mainly expressed in stroma cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that maternal protein- and energy-restricted diets during lactation can disturb the follicular development of the offspring, probably by reducing the number of androgen and estrogen receptors in the ovary.