Neonatal handling alters maternal emotional response to stress.

Neonatal handling is an experimental procedure used to analyze the effects of environmental interventions during early postpartum days (PPD). Long-lasting effects of repeated stress exposure in the neonatal period on the maternal side are poorly studied in this model. The aim of this study was to verify if handling the pups induces enduring effects on damsstress responses, increasing their risk for depression. Dams were divided into two groups (NH-Non-handled and H-Handled) based on the handling procedure (pups were handled for 1 min/per day from PPD1-PPD10) and then subdivided into four groups (NH, NH + S, H, and H + S) based on the exposure or not to restraint stress after weaning (1 hr/per day for 7 days, PPD22-PPD28). We analyzed damsbehavior in the forced swimming test (FST PPD29-PPD30), plasma basal corticosterone and BDNF levels, as well as adrenal weight (PPD31). The results show that handling alters the stress response of dams to acute and chronic stress, as evidenced by dams of the H group having increased immobility in the first day of FST (p < .001), similar to NH + S (p < .01). Dams of the H and H + S groups show decreased levels of corticosterone when compared to NH and NH + S groups (p < .05), but the H + S group shows an increased adrenal weight, suggesting an increased sensibility of the maternal organism to the chronic stress applied after weaning (p < .05). We show that handling may induce a long-lasting effect on maternal stress response; these changes in the damsemotional reactivity increase their susceptibility for the development of psychiatric disorders such as depression. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 614-622, 2016.

The impact of maternal consumption of cafeteria diet on reproductive function in the offspring.

Maternal obesity is a risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome and childhood obesity, and early overnutrition seems to induce the development of pathologies in adulthood, including insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a higher BMI. In addition, it is known that obesity can negatively affect fertility and reproductive function in men. The objective of this work was to investigate the impact of maternal obesity induced by the consumption of cafeteria diet on metabolic, endocrine and reproductive outcomes in the male offspring. Body weight, abdominal fat content and concentrations of insulin, leptin, glucose and total cholesterol were analyzed in dams. The same parameters were evaluated in pups when in adulthood, in addition to the analysis of sexual behavior, followed by measurement of plasma luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, and prolactin. Maternal consumption of cafeteria diet affected reproductive hormone regulation in the offspring and such modifications were reflected on sexual performance. Also, these modifications were independent of time and of the reproductive period during which dams consumed the diet. Our results indicate, for the first time, that maternal nutrition may have a deep impact on the reproductive function of the adult male offspring.