Cardiac nitric oxide system in rats of both genders exposed to zinc deficiency during fetal life and postnatal growth

JURIOL LORENA; GOBETTO NATALIA; MENDES GARRIDO FACUNDO; PINEDA GONZALO; ELESGARAY ROSANA; ARRANZ CRISTINA; TOMAT ANALÍA

Iguassu Falls, Paraná

Congreso; 1st PanAmerican Congress of Physiological Science: Physiology without borders.; 2014

Moderate zinc deficiency during intrauterine and postnatal growth induces an increase in blood pressure levels and a decrease in wall thickness and left ventricular (LV) contractility only in adult males (m). Objective: to evaluate nitric oxide (NO) system in rats exposed to this deficiency and if there are gender differences. Wistar rats received during pregnancy up to weaning low (L:8 ppm) or control (C:30 ppm) zinc diet. After weaning, m and female (f) offprings fed low (l) or control (c) zinc diet during 60 days (Cc, Ll, Lc m and f). At day 81, and we evaluated in LV: basal NO sintase (NOS) and endothelial (eNOS), neuronal (nNOS) and inducible (iNOS) isoforms activities (pmol14CLcitrulline/g.tissue.min); eNOS protein expression (Western Blot, optical density eNOS/β-actin relative to Cc) and mRNA expression (RT-qPCR; eNOS/GAPDH relative to Cc). Ll and Lc of m and f showed reduced basal NOS activity and Ccf showed higher NOS activity than Ccm. (CCm:204±6, Llm:164±10*, Lcm:157±111*; Ccf:258±2*, Llf:218±3ɫ, Lcf:217±4ɫ). NO production is mainly produced by eNOS, because basal NOS activity was not affected by nNOS and iNOS inhibitors, but was decreased by blocking Ca2+-calmodulin in all groups. There were no differences in eNOS protein and mRNA expression between the groups. Zinc restriction during fetal life and postnatal growth may affect cardiac NOS activity in m and f adult rats. However f would be less sensitive to these alterations.