Validation of a mouse model of double burden of malnutrition to study the long-lasting effects on behavior and metabolism

BARRIOS C; ELIA E; DEPINO AM

Congreso; Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias 2022 Meeting; 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias

Malnutrition compromises both, undernutrition and overweight/obesity, and they are both known to alter development and affect multiple systemswich are widely known and there are severals animal model that represent both of imbalance. In the recent years a new phenomenon has been observed specially in developing countries: Also the is another imbalance that can occur, that is callthe “doble burden of malnutrition” (DBM). DBMThis phenomenon consists of children suffering from undernutrition during their early stages of development followed by overweight/obesity later in life in later stages of development. To date there is no animal model that recapitulates the double burden of malnutritionDBM and allows to study, its effects on metabolism and its consequences on neurodevelopment.In this work we attempted to generate a mouse model of double burden of malnutritionDBM by combining in order to understand its effects on metabolism and neurodevelopment. Carried out a maternal separation from postnatal day (P) 5 to P21 (undernutrition) and a cafeteria diet from P21 to adulthood (obesity). We observed a decrease in weight and size during maternal separation, followed by a steep gain of weight in animals offered with cafeteria diet. We then subjected adult animals to a battery of behavioral tests and foundand there were no differences in anxiety and depression-related like behaviors during the adulthood. Further characterization of behavior, metabolism and endocrine function will be necessary to identify the long-lasting effect of DBM.