Early nutrition plays a long-term role in the predisposition to chronic diseases and
influences the metabolism of several drugs. This may happen through cytochromes P450
(CYPs) regulation, which are the main enzymes responsible for the metabolism of
xenobiotics. Here, we analyzed the effects of maternal protein restriction (MPR) on
the expression and activity of hepatic offspring’s CYPs during 90 days after birth,
using Wistar rats as a mammal model. Hepatic CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B1, CYP2B2 and
CYP2E1 mRNA and protein expression, and associated catalytic activities (ECOD, EROD,
MROD, BROD, PROD and PNPH) were evaluated in 15-, 30-, 60-, and 90-day-old offspring
from dams fed with either a 0% protein (MPR groups) or a standard diet (C groups)
during the 10 first days of lactation. Results showed that most CYP
genes were induced in 60- and 90-day-old MPR offspring. The inductions detected in
MPR60 and MPR90 were of 5.0- and 2.0-fold (CYP1A2), 3.7- and
2.0-fold (CYP2B2) and 9.8- and 5.8– fold (CYP2E1),
respectively, and a 3.8-fold increase of CYP2B1 in MPR90. No major
alterations were detected in CYP protein expression. The most relevant CYP catalytic
activities’ alterations were observed in EROD, BROD and PNPH. Nevertheless, they did
not follow the same pattern observed for mRNA expression, except for an induction of
EROD in MPR90 (3.5-fold) and of PNPH in MPR60 (2.2-fold). Together, these results
suggest that MPR during lactation was capable of altering the expression and activity
of the hepatic CYP enzymes evaluated in the offspring along development.
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