The present study aimed to analyze the effects of sleep restriction (SR) during pregnancy in rats. The following three groups were studied: home cage (HC pregnant females remained in their home cage), Sham (females were placed in tanks similar to the SR group but with sawdust) and SR (females were submitted to the multiple platform method for 20 h per day from gestational days (GD) 14 to 20). Plasma corticosterone after 6 days of SR was not different among the groups. However, the relative adrenal weight was higher in the SR group compared with the HC group, which suggests possible stress impact. SR during pregnancy reduces the body weight of the female but no changes in liver glycogen, cholesterol and triglycerides, and muscle glycogen were detected. On GD 20, the fetuses of the females submitted to SR exhibited increased brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus, which indicates that sleep restriction of mothers during the final week of gestation may affect neuronal growth factors in a fetal brain structure, in which active neurogenesis occurs during the deprivation period. However, no changes in the total reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cortex, hippocampus, or cerebellum of the fetuses were detected. SR females showed no major change in the maternal behavior, and the pups' preference for the mother's odor on postpartum day (PPD) 7 was not altered. On GD 20, the SR females exhibited increased plasma prolactin (PRL) and oxytocin (OT) compared with the HC and Sham groups. The negative outcomes of sleep restriction during delivery could be related, in part, to this hormonal imbalance. Sleep restriction during pregnancy induces different changes compared with the changes described in males and affects both the mother and offspring.
Consumption of energy-dense/high-fat diets is strongly and positively associated with overweight and obesity, which are associated with increase in the prevalence of certain chronic diseases. We evaluated the effect of hypercaloric/fat or normocaloric diets on some biochemical parameters in rats. Seventy-two rats were divided into four groups that were fed for 16 weeks with diets: normocaloric [9.12% soy oil, normocaloric soy oil (NSO)], hypercaloric olive oil [43.8% olive oil, hypercaloric olive oil (HOO)], hypercaloric saturated fat [43.8% saturated fat, hypercaloric saturated fat (HSF)] and normocaloric saturated fat [43.8% saturated fat, normocaloric saturated fat (NSF)]. HSF rats consumed more calories daily than the others and gained more retroperitoneal fat, although HSF and HOO rats had higher body weight. In liver, glycogen synthesis and concentration were higher in rats HSF and NSF. In plasma, total cholesterol (TC) levels were higher in HSF rats than in the others, and triacylglycerol (TAG) levels were lower in HOO and higher in HSF rats in relation to the others. In liver, TC and TAG were elevated in HSF, NSF and HOO rats. Paraoxonase 1 activity, which is related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and has anti-atherogenic role was lower in rats HSF. In HOO rats, glucose tolerance test was altered, but insulin tolerance test was normal. These results suggest that consumption of energy-dense/high-fat diets, both saturated or monounsaturated, causes damaging effects. However, more studies are necessary to understand the mechanisms by which these diets cause the metabolic alterations observed.
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