Reduced Availability of Essential Amino Acids Disrupts Differentiation of Anorexigenic POMC Neurons in the Fetal Rat Hypothalamus.

ABSTRACT: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with an elevated risk of long-term metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, aligning with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis. However, the mechanisms underlying metabolic programming remain elusive. This study investigates the impact of gestational protein restriction (PR) on fetal hypothalamic development, focusing on the formation of neuronal populations regulating appetite and energy balance. Using a rat isocaloric PR model (8% protein preconception, 4% during gestation), we examined hypothalamic development at gestational days 15 and 17-critical stages for cell fate determination and differentiation. We measured maternal, fetal, and placental weights, and maternal plasma amino acid concentra

SUBMITTER: Vancamp P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12511200 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature