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Influence of Dietary Protein Levels on Rat Brain Enzyme Activities during Early Development^1,2,

Protein Nutrition Laboratory, Nutrition Institute, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 20705

The effects of feeding adult female rats diets containing 45% (high), 22% (control) or 8% (deficient) casein prior to and during gestation and lactation on the activities of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH), fructose biphosphate aldolase (aldolase) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in whole brain homogenates of offspring at birth, 7, 14, 21, and 42 days postpartum were investigated. Pups were suckled in litters of eight and fed the same diet as their dam from 21 to 42 days postpartum. The increases in body and brain weights from birth to 42 days reflected the level of protein in the maternal and postweaning diets. At various ages during the suckling period, enzymic activities for SDH, AChE, G-6-PDH, and aldolase were lower in the deficient than in the control group. At 42 days of age, brain AChE and G-6-PDH activities were significantly higher (18% and 10%, respectively) in the deficient than in the control group. In the high group, the activities of SDH, AChE, and G-6-PDH were significantly lower than those of the control group at 14 days. At 42 days, no significant differences existed between the high and control groups for any of the enzymes studied. These experiments indicate that the development of enzymic activity in the brains of pups may be associated with maternal and postweaning dietary protein levels.

KEY WORDS: • dietary protein • brain enzymes • early development

¹ A preliminary report has been presented at the meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Atlantic City, N.J., April 1973. Federation Proc. 32, 902 (Abstract).

² Mention of a trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.

³ Current address: Department of Human Nutrition and Foods, School of Home Economics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05401.

⁴ Reprint requests to: Ms. Juliette Coupain, Nutrition Institute, Room 202, Building 308, U.S. Department of Agriculture, ARS, ARC-East, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.

Manuscript received 2 September 1976.