In utero growth restriction and being born small for gestational age are risk factors for respiratory morbidity. IUGR (in utero growth retardation) is associated to overall reduction in lung weight, surfactant content and activity, impaired maturation of the alveolar type II cells, and decreased alveolar formation. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may be a key target underlying pathophysiological lung alterations. GLP-1 and agonists of its receptor modulate the expression levels of different components of RAS and also are very important for lung maturation and the production of surfactant proteins. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of IUGR induced by perinatal food restriction of the mother in the lung function of pups at early stages of life (PD21) and to determine if liraglutide had any effect during gestational period. Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats were randomly assigned to 50% food restriction (MPFR) or ad libitum control (CT) groups at day of pregnancy 12 (GD12). From GD14 to parturition, pregnant MPFR and CT rats were treated with liraglutide or vehicle. At postnatal day 21 and before weaning, 20 CT and 20 FR male pups were sacrificed and lungs were analyzed by RT-PCR. Liraglutide restored surfactant protein A (SP-A) mRNA expression in pup lungs from food-restricted mothers. Surfactant protein B (SP-B) mRNA expression is not affected by neither IUGR nor liraglutide treatment. Moreover, liraglutide modulated different elements of RAS, increasing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and MasR mRNA expression only in pups from food-restricted mothers (MPFR), despite food restriction had not any direct effect at this early stage. Liraglutide also increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in MPFR lungs, reflecting the activation of MasR by angiotensin 1–7. In conclusion, liraglutide prevented the alteration in lung function induced by IUGR and promoted the positive effects of ACE2-Ang(1–7)-MasR in restoring lung function.

BackgroundPerinatal maternal malnutrition is related to altered growth of tissues and organs. The nervous system development is very sensitive to environmental insults, being the hippocampus a vulnerable structure, in which altered number of neurons and granular cells has been observed. Moreover, glial cells are also affected, and increased expression of proinflammatory mediators has been observed. We studied the effect of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, liraglutide, which have very potent metabolic and neuroprotective effects, in order to ameliorate/prevent the glial alterations present in the hippocampus of the pups from mothers with food restriction during pregnancy and lactation (maternal perinatal food restriction—MPFR).MethodsPregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 50% food restriction (FR; n = 12) or ad libitum controls (CT, n = 12) groups at day of pregnancy 12 (GD12). From GD14 to parturition, pregnant FR and CT rats were treated with liraglutide (100 μg/kg) or vehicle. At postnatal day 21 and before weaning, 48 males and 45 females (CT and MPFR) were sacrificed. mRNA expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor-κβ, major histocompatibility complex-II (MHCII), interleukin 10 (IL10), arginase 1 (Arg1), and transforming growth factor (TGFβ) were assessed in the hippocampus by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Iba1 and GFAP-immunoreactivity were assessed by immunocytochemistry.ResultsThe mRNA expression IL1β, IL6, NF-κB, and MHCII increased in the hippocampus of male but not in female pups from MPFR. In addition, there was an increase in the percentage of GFAP and Iba1-immupositive cells in the dentate gyrus compared to controls, indicating an inflammatory response in the brain. On the other hand, liraglutide treatment prevented the neuroinflammatory process, promoting the production of anti-inflammatory molecules such as IL10, TGFβ, and arginase 1, and decreasing the number and reactivity of microglial cells and astrocytes in the hippocampus of male pups.ConclusionTherefore, the GLP-1 analog, liraglutide, emerges as neuroprotective drug that minimizes the harmful effects of maternal food restriction, decreasing neuroinflammation in the hippocampus in a very early stage.

Diabetes mellitus exerts metabolic stress on cells and it provokes a chronic increase in the long-term activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, perhaps thereby contributing to insulin resistance. GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists are pleiotropic hormones that not only affect glycaemic and metabolic control, but they also produce many other effects including activation of the HPA axis. In fact, several of the most relevant effects of GLP-1 might involve, at least in part, the modulation of the HPA axis. Thus, the anorectic activity of GLP-1 could be mediated by increasing CRF at the hypothalamic level, while its lipolytic effects could imply a local increase in glucocorticoids and glucocorticoid receptor (GC-R) expression in adipose tissue. Indeed, the potent activation of the HPA axis by GLP-1R agonists occurs within the range of therapeutic doses and with a short latency. Interestingly, the interactions of GLP-1 with the HPA axis may underlie most of the effects of GLP-1 on food intake control, glycaemic metabolism, adipose tissue biology and the responses to stress. Moreover, such activity has been observed in animal models (mice and rats), as well as in normal humans and in type I or type II diabetic patients. Accordingly, better understanding of how GLP-1R agonists modulate the activity of the HPA axis in diabetic subjects, especially obese individuals, will be crucial to design new and more efficient therapies for these patients.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and fatal lung disease. This disease is characterized by an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix deposition that modify normal lung physiology. Up to date, there are not efficient therapeutic tools to fight IPF. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation plays an essential role in lung functions in normal and in pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to study the possible beneficial effects of the administration of the GLP-1R agonist, liraglutide, in the pathogenesis of the fibrotic process in an animal model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin. We observed that liraglutide decreased mRNA expression of collagen, hydroxyproline and key enzymes for the synthesis of collagen. In addition, GLP-1R activation restored the ACE2 mRNA levels modulating the activities of the RAS components, increased the production of surfactant proteins (SFTPa1, SFTPb, SFTPc) and promoted an improvement in pulmonary and cardiac functionality, including a partial restoration of lung alveolar structure. Liraglutide effects are shown at both the pro-inflammatory and fibrosis phases of the experimental disease. For these reasons, GLP-1 might be regarded as a promising drug for treating pulmonary fibrosis.

Maternal and perinatal undernutrition affects the lung development of litters and it may produce long-lasting alterations in respiratory health. This can be demonstrated using animal models and epidemiological studies. During pregnancy, maternal diet controls lung development by direct and indirect mechanisms. For sure, food intake and caloric restriction directly influence the whole body maturation and the lung. In addition, the maternal food intake during pregnancy controls mother, placenta, and fetal endocrine systems that regulate nutrient uptake and distribution to the fetus and pulmonary tissue development. There are several hormones involved in metabolic regulations, which may play an essential role in lung development during pregnancy. This review focuses on the effect of metabolic hormones in lung development and in how undernutrition alters the hormonal environment during pregnancy to disrupt normal lung maturation. We explore the role of GLP-1, ghrelin, and leptin, and also retinoids and cholecalciferol as hormones synthetized from diet precursors. Finally, we also address how metabolic hormones altered during pregnancy may affect lung pathophysiology in the adulthood.

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