Consumo de agua azucarada en etapas prenatal y posnatal en ratas macho: distribución celular de acuaporina 2 y GLUT4 en los túbulos renales

Abstract

The high consumption of sugary drinks in different stages of life has been linked to metabolic diseases and organs injury. The effect of its consumption during pregnancy-lactation and its implication that it could have on the offspring health has been little studied. An imbalance on diet during this period could modify the genetic information of the fetus and it could trigger metabolic diseases in its adult life. It has been shown that one of the organs that could be affected in these individuals is the kidney, which is responsible for very important functions including the formation of urine. This is achieved with the participation of various proteins, such as aquaporins (AQPs), intramembrane channel-forming proteins that allow the passage mainly of water through the cell. Some are expressed differentially along the renal ducts. AQP2 is located in the principal cells of the collecting tubule where antidiuretic hormone (ADH) triggers its translocation to the apical membrane to allow the passage of water. Glucose transporters (GLUTs) are also involved, which are responsible for transporting glucose within the cell. The expression of these proteins is altered in metabolic pathologies such as diabetes mellitus. The objective of this project is to determine the effect of sucrose water consumption during gestation-lactation period on the expression of AQP2 and GLUT4 in the kidney of the offspring in their adulthood. Twelve female rats were mated and grouped in control-dams consumed tap-water and sucrose-dams consumed sucrose-water during gestation-lactation. Male pups were weaned and assigned into four groups (n=6 each): those from control-mothers that continued drinking tap-water (CM-CO group) or sucrosewater (CM-SO group) until adult life; and those from sucrose-mothers that drank tap-water (SM-CO group) or continued drinking sucrose-water (SM-SO group) until adult life. Male rats were sacrificed at 17 weeks of age and the expression of AQP2 and GLUT4 in kidney was determined by solid phase immunodetection. The results show an increase in the levels of AQP2 and GLUT4 in renal cortex in those animals that consumed sucrose water throughout the experiment (gestation-lactation and postnatal life). These results suggest that the kidney is susceptible to the consumption of sucrose at certain stages of development increasing the vulnerability of renal pathologies in adult life.