Previous studies by the UB scientists showed that rat pups raised artificially on a high-carbohydrate milk formula identical in calories to mother's milk developed changes in pancreatic islets, resulting in overproduction of insulin and obesity in adulthood. The progeny of these high-carbohydrate (HC) mothers raised naturally also develop the same maladjustments, they found.

The researchers now have shown that this metabolic "malprogramming" is permanent and occurs in utero, resulting in the next generation born to HC mothers carrying the HC phenotype. Rat fetuses had increased plasma insulin levels, increased mRNA levels of preproinsulin, a precursor of insulin, and increased insulin in the pancreas, without an increase in body weight, plasma glucose level or a change in islet structure.

They also found changes in the hypothalamus, the brain's center of appetite regulation, that result in appetite stimulation. While these studies were done with rats, Mulchand Patel, Ph.D, UB distinguished professor of biochemistry and first author on the study, speculated that there is good reason to think the mechanism could be similar in humans.

"Obesity can be perpetuated via the maternal intrauterine environment," said Patel, who reported the findings at the 2005 Experimental Biology meeting held in San Diego in early April.

"Our earlier studies looked at progeny in the post-weaning period, so we didn't know how early this malprogramming occurred. Now we know it occurs in utero. We predicted that this could be the case, and our present findings support this prediction."

Plasma levels of rat pups (2-HC) born to HC mothers returned to normal during the suckling period, results showed, but islets from 12-day-old suckling 2-HC rats showed a cap
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Contact: Lois Baker
ljbaker@buffalo.edu
716-645-5000 x1417
University at Buffalo
21-Apr-2005