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Adrenal Function in Young of Protein-Deprived Pregnant Rats¹

Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California 95616

Corticosterone levels were determined in plasma and adrenal glands from 4-day and 8-day old young of rats fed diets containing 4% or 24% casein during pregnancy. Body and adrenal gland weights were determined in newborn, 4-day and 8-day old young. Pups of proteindeprived dams had significantly smaller body and gland weights than did control young. Absolute adrenal weight in prenatally protein-deprived (PPD) young remained lower at all three ages. Differences in adrenal weight: body weight ratios disappeared after 4 postnatal days during which all young were suckled by stock diet-fed dams. Adrenal shrinkage was observed between birth and 4 days in control pups but not in PPD young. Unstressed pups of both groups had similar plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels. However, ACTH-injected PPD young at 4 days had increased adrenal corticosterone per mg tissue and at 8 days, decreased plasma corticosterone compared to ACTH-injected control young. Physiological stress by ether exposure resulted in similar plasma and adrenal corticosterone levels in both groups. Maternal protein deficiency did not affect the parameters of adrenal function studied in unstressed or ether stressed rat pups. It did, however, decrease the capacity of adrenals of PPD young to respond to ACTH.

KEY WORDS: • adrenal • protein deficiency • pregnancy • corticosterone • ACTH

¹ Supported in part by Public Health Service Research Grant No. HD-06465 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

² To whom reprint requests should be sent.

Manuscript received 17 September 1975.