Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Abstract

Overeating in Early Postnatal Ontogenesis Forms Metabolic Memory and Reduces Lifespan

Bozhkov AI, Nikitchenko Yu V and Al-Bahadly Ali MM

We investigated the role of metabolic memory in a choice of strategies for adaptation to stress influences. We used a model of rat overeating in early ontogenesis from birth to 21 days of life and investigated the maintenance of formed metabolic pattern in later ontogenesis. The following characteristics were measured: somatometric indicators, resistance of animals to a temperature stress of 32ᵒC, thyroxin and triiodothyronine content in blood serum, NO-synthase activity, the content of lipid hydroperoxides and antioxidant enzymes in different organs in animals of 3, 20 and 31 months of age under standard conditions of maintenance in control animals and after overeating in the early ontogenesis. It is shown that the metabolic pattern formed on the background of overeating from birth to 21 days remains until the later stages of ontogeny. The forming metabolic pattern is characterized by elevated content of thyroxin, increase of NO-synthase activity in various tissues and particularly in the brain, a small increase of lipid hydroperoxides and reduced antioxidant activity of some enzymes. Animals that overeated in the early ontogenesis, are characterized by lower resistance to high temperatures and shorter life expectancy compared to the animals contained in the standard terms.