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Maternal Brown Fat Metabolism Returns to Control Level by Four Weeks Postweaning in Rats¹

Barbara J. Moore^*,,2, Toshiki Inokuchi^*,3, Barbara A. Horwitz and Judith Stern

^* Department of Nutrition Department of Animal Physiology The Food Intake Laboratory, University of California, Davis, CA 95616

We studied body composition, white and brown adipose tissue cellularity, lipoprotein lipase activity and metabolic enzyme activity in three groups of rats: nonpregnant controls, lactating dams and nonlactating dams (i.e., dams not permitted to suckle their young). Nine to 11 rats in each group were killed on d 12 postpartum (study d 34) and on d 40 postpartum (study d 62). During lactation, brown fat citrate synthase, ß-hydroxyacylCoA dehydrogenase (HOAD) and lipoprotein lipase activities were significantly lower in the lactating than in the nonlactating dams or virgin controls. Although the nonlactating dams had their pups removed within 24 h after delivery, by d 12 postpartum citrate synthase and HOAD activities were significantly lower than those of nonpregnant controls. By the end of the study there were no differences among the three groups except in the case of HOAD. HOAD activity in the lactation group was significantly lower than in the nonlactation group. White fat cell number in the parametrial depot was significantly increased in the nonlactation groups by d 12 postpartum. In the lactation group, increased white fat cell number in this depot was detectable at d 40 postpartum, when carcass fat stores and fat cells had been repleted. These results demonstrate that both lactating and nonlactating dams undergo cellular hyperplasia, at least in the parametrial depot. This may predispose them to obesity. Also, decreased brown fat metabolism in the nonlactating dams may be contributing to their significantly greater carcass fat content at d 12 postpartum.

KEY WORDS: • food intake • brown fat • carcass composition • lactation • female rats

¹ Supported by National Institutes of Health grants DK 32907 and DK 18899 and Training grant DK HL07355.

² Current address and to whom reprint requests should be sent: Weight Watchers International, 500 North Broadway, Jericho, NY 11753.

³ Current address: Toho University School of Medicine, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, 6-11-1 Omori-Nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143, Japan.

Manuscript received 21 July 1988. Revision accepted 20 June 1989.

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