Gender dependant regulation of lipid metabolizing enzymes in the fetal heart from control and diabetic rats

KURTZ MELISA; WHITE VERÓNICA; HIGA ROMINA; MARTÍNEZ NORA; JAWERBAUM ALICIA

Santiago

Congreso; International Federation of Placenta Associations Meeting: “Fetus and Placenta: a perfect harmony”; 2010

International Federation of Placenta Associations- Simposio Latinoamericano de Interacción Materno-fetal y Placenta

Introduction: In maternal diabetes, the fetal heart is exposed to the increased lipids transferred though the placenta. PPAR alpha regulates the expression of several enzymes of lipid metabolism such as acylCoA oxidase (ACO) and carnitine palmtyltransferase-1 (CPT1-1), respective rate limiting enzymes in peroxisomal and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. Objective: To evaluate lipid concentrations and PPAR, ACO and CPT-1 expression in the fetal heart from control and diabetic rats on day 21 of pregnancy, and to analyze whether PPARα activation regulates PPAR, ACO and CPT-1 expression in hearts from female and male fetuses from control and diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin administration. On day 21 of gestation, fetal hearts were explanted and lipids concentrations (TLC and densitometry) and PPARalpha, ACO and CPT-1 expression (RT-PCR) were analyzed. Fetuses from control and diabetic rats were injected through the uterine wall with the PPARα agonist leukotriene B4 (LTB4, 0.1μM) on days 19, 20, and 21 of gestation. On day 21 of gestation, fetal heart expression of PPARalpha, ACO and CPT-1 were evaluated. Results: Male and female fetal hearts from diabetic rats showed increased concentrations of triglycerides (p