Restriction of maternal food intake inhibits fatty acid activation in developing rat hearts

• Published in: Lipids Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 122 - 126
• Main Authors: Menon, N.K, Dhopeshwarkar, G.A, Mead, J.F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer‐Verlag 01.02.1984; Springer
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Suckling - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biotransformation; Body Weight; Coenzyme A Ligases - metabolism; diet-related diseases; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Female; Food Deprivation - physiology; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; human nutrition; Lipid Metabolism; Management. Prenatal diagnosis; Medical sciences; Milk - analysis; Myocardium - metabolism; Organ Size; Oxidation-Reduction; Pregnancy; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Repressor Proteins; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Heart; Pregnancy; Vertebrata; Fetal diseases; Mammalia; Rat; Rodentia; Development; Metabolic diseases; Circulatory system; Maternal diseases; Food restricted diet
• ISSN: 0024-4201; 1558-9307
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02534502

We studied the effect of restricting the diet of pregnant and lactating rats on the β‐oxidation of fatty acids by the developing heart in suckling pups. Control pregnant rats were fed a stock diet ad libitum. For the experimental group, food was restricted to half of the control intake on the seventh day of pregnancy and continued through lactation. The pups on the restricted diet were significantly smaller than the controls. At postnatal days 5, 14 and 21, the β‐oxidation of [1‐14C] palmitate by heart homogenates was determined in the presence of ATP, carnitine and CoA. At day 21, the production of14CO2 was 60% lower in the group on the restricted diet. Consequently, the possibility of inhibiting activation or intramitochondrial transport of fatty acids by heart mitochondria was studied in vitro using [1‐14C] palmitate, [1‐14C] palmitoyl CoA and [1‐14C] palmitoyl carnitine. With [1‐14C]‐palmitate, the rate of14CO2 produced was 2464±317 cpm/mg protein/min for the control and 1682±91 for the restricted diet group. With [1‐14C] palmitoyl CoA and [1‐14C] palmitoyl carnitine, the oxidation rate of the experimental group was similar to control values, showing clearly that the inhibition of oxidation was from a problem with activation. A significant decrease in palmitoyl CoA synthetase activity in the heart homogenates and mitochondria of the diet‐restricted pups took place.