Developmental Changes in Hypothalamic and Serum Oxytocin Levels in Prenatally Normally Nourished and Undernourished Rats

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2023 Jun 28

PMID 37375670

Authors

Junki Imaizumi

Shuhei Kamada

Miyu Taniguchi

Tatsuro Sugimoto

Takaaki Maeda

Ryosuke Arakaki

Shota Yamamoto

Aya Shirakawa

Ayuka Mineda

Atsuko Yoshida

Takeshi Iwasa

Takashi Kaji

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Changes in the activities of some metabolic factors have been suggested to increase the risk of conditions associated with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). We examined changes in oxytocin (OT), a metabolic factor, and OT receptor (OTR) mRNA levels throughout the developmental period in rats of intrauterine undernutrition. Pregnant rats were divided into two groups: a maternal normal nutrition (mNN) and maternal undernutrition (mUN) group. Serum OT concentrations and hypothalamic mRNA levels of OT and OTR were measured in both offspring at various postnatal stages. Both offspring showed significant increases in serum OT concentrations during the neonatal period, significant reductions around the pubertal period, and significant increases in adulthood. Hypothalamic OT mRNA expression levels gradually increased from the neonatal to pubertal period and decreased in adulthood in both offspring. In the pre-weaning period, hypothalamic OT mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in the mUN offspring than in the mNN offspring. In the mUN offspring, hypothalamic OTR mRNA expression levels transiently increased during the neonatal period, decreased around the pubertal period, and increased again in adulthood, whereas transient changes were not detected in mNN offspring. These changes could affect nutritional and metabolic regulation systems in later life and play a role in the mechanisms underlying DOHaD.

References

Takayanagi Y, Kasahara Y, Onaka T, Takahashi N, Kawada T, Nishimori K . Oxytocin receptor-deficient mice developed late-onset obesity. Neuroreport. 2008; 19(9):951-5. DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e3283021ca9. View

Elabd S, Sabry I, Hassan W, Nour H, Zaky K . Possible neuroendocrine role for oxytocin in bone remodeling. Endocr Regul. 2008; 41(4):131-41. View

Yamamoto S, Noguchi H, Takeda A, Arakaki R, Uchishiba M, Imaizumi J . Changes in Endogenous Oxytocin Levels and the Effects of Exogenous Oxytocin Administration on Body Weight Changes and Food Intake in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Model Rats. Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(15). PMC: 9330807. DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158207. View

Castaneda T, Tong J, Datta R, Culler M, Tschop M . Ghrelin in the regulation of body weight and metabolism. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2009; 31(1):44-60. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.10.008. View

Phaneuf S, Asboth G, Carrasco M, Europe-Finner G, Saji F, Kimura T . The desensitization of oxytocin receptors in human myometrial cells is accompanied by down-regulation of oxytocin receptor messenger RNA. J Endocrinol. 1997; 154(1):7-18. DOI: 10.1677/joe.0.1540007. View

Altirriba J, Poher A, Rohner-Jeanrenaud F . Chronic Oxytocin Administration as a Treatment Against Impaired Leptin Signaling or Leptin Resistance in Obesity. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2015; 6:119. PMC: 4525065. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2015.00119. View

Iwasa T, Matsuzaki T, Mayila Y, Yanagihara R, Yamamoto Y, Kawakita T . Oxytocin treatment reduced food intake and body fat and ameliorated obesity in ovariectomized female rats. Neuropeptides. 2019; 75:49-57. DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2019.03.002. View

Schwartz M, Woods S, Porte Jr D, Seeley R, Baskin D . Central nervous system control of food intake. Nature. 2000; 404(6778):661-71. DOI: 10.1038/35007534. View

Ludwig M, Leng G . Dendritic peptide release and peptide-dependent behaviours. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006; 7(2):126-36. DOI: 10.1038/nrn1845. View

10.

Carter C, Kenkel W, MacLean E, Wilson S, Perkeybile A, Yee J . Is Oxytocin "Nature's Medicine"?. Pharmacol Rev. 2020; 72(4):829-861. PMC: 7495339. DOI: 10.1124/pr.120.019398. View

11.

Lawson E, Marengi D, DeSanti R, Holmes T, Schoenfeld D, Tolley C . Oxytocin reduces caloric intake in men. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015; 23(5):950-6. PMC: 4414748. DOI: 10.1002/oby.21069. View

12.

Arletti R, Benelli A, Bertolini A . Influence of oxytocin on feeding behavior in the rat. Peptides. 1989; 10(1):89-93. DOI: 10.1016/0196-9781(89)90082-x. View

13.

Kuiri-Hanninen T, Sankilampi U, Dunkel L . Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in infancy: minipuberty. Horm Res Paediatr. 2014; 82(2):73-80. DOI: 10.1159/000362414. View

14.

Zhang H, Wu C, Chen Q, Chen X, Xu Z, Wu J . Treatment of obesity and diabetes using oxytocin or analogs in patients and mouse models. PLoS One. 2013; 8(5):e61477. PMC: 3658979. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061477. View

15.

McCormack S, Blevins J, Lawson E . Metabolic Effects of Oxytocin. Endocr Rev. 2019; 41(2). PMC: 7012298. DOI: 10.1210/endrev/bnz012. View

16.

Deblon N, Veyrat-Durebex C, Bourgoin L, Caillon A, Bussier A, Petrosino S . Mechanisms of the anti-obesity effects of oxytocin in diet-induced obese rats. PLoS One. 2011; 6(9):e25565. PMC: 3181274. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025565. View

17.

Blevins J, Schwartz M, Baskin D . Evidence that paraventricular nucleus oxytocin neurons link hypothalamic leptin action to caudal brain stem nuclei controlling meal size. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2004; 287(1):R87-96. DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00604.2003. View

18.

McKay E, Counts S . Oxytocin Receptor Signaling in Vascular Function and Stroke. Front Neurosci. 2020; 14:574499. PMC: 7544744. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.574499. View

19.

Quintana D, Rokicki J, van der Meer D, Alnaes D, Kaufmann T, Cordova-Palomera A . Oxytocin pathway gene networks in the human brain. Nat Commun. 2019; 10(1):668. PMC: 6368605. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08503-8. View

20.

Bianco-Miotto T, Craig J, Gasser Y, van Dijk S, Ozanne S . Epigenetics and DOHaD: from basics to birth and beyond. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2017; 8(5):513-519. DOI: 10.1017/S2040174417000733. View