| First Author | Raff H | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol | Volume | 314 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | R12-R21 |
| PubMed ID | 28877872 | Mgi Jnum | J:257606 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6116035 | Doi | 10.1152/ajpregu.00271.2017 |
| Citation | Raff H, et al. (2018) Insulin sensitivity, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and testosterone in adult male and female rats after maternal-neonatal separation and environmental stress. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 314(1):R12-R21 |
| abstractText | Care of premature infants often requires parental and caregiver separation, particularly during hypoxic and hypothermic episodes. We have established a neonatal rat model of human prematurity involving maternal-neonatal separation and hypoxia with spontaneous hypothermia prevented by external heat. Adults previously exposed to these neonatal stressors show a sex difference in the insulin and glucose response to arginine stimulation suggesting a state of insulin resistance. The current study used this cohort of adult rats to evaluate insulin resistance [homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)], plasma adipokines (reflecting insulin resistance states), and testosterone. The major findings were that daily maternal-neonatal separation led to an increase in body weight and HOMA-IR in adult male and female rats and increased plasma leptin in adult male rats only; neither prior neonatal hypoxia (without or with body temperature control) nor neonatal hypothermia altered subsequent adult HOMA-IR or plasma adiponectin. Adult male-female differences in plasma leptin were lost with prior exposure to neonatal hypoxia or hypothermia; male-female differences in resistin were lost in the adults that were exposed to hypoxia and spontaneous hypothermia as neonates. Exposure of neonates to daily hypoxia without spontaneous hypothermia led to a decrease in plasma testosterone in adult male rats. We conclude that neonatal stressors result in subsequent adult sex-dependent increases in insulin resistance and adipokines and that our rat model of prematurity with hypoxia without hypothermia alters adult testosterone dynamics. |