France M Rioux
University of Ottawa, Canada
Title: Impact of maternal iron defi ciency on serum cortisol in the guinea pig offspring
Biography
Biography: France M Rioux
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the serum cortisol levels used as biomarker of stress in the guinea pig offspring at postnatal day (PNd) 24 and PNd84 born from dams suffering from iron deficiency during pregnancy and lactation.
Method: Female guinea pigs (n= 12/group) were fed an iron sufficient (IS) diet (114 mg/kg) or an iron deficient (ID) diet (11,7 mg/kg) during the gestation and lactation periods. Pups in both groups were weaned at PNd9 and given an IS diet. Hematocrit (hct) and serum cortisol levels were measured at every trimester and at the day of sacrifice in dams and at PNd24 and 84 in pups, on sacrifice day. The weight of dams and pups’ hippocampus, heart, kidneys and adrenal glands including the length of adrenal glands was recorded. The body weight in every animal was also taken every second day until the day of sacrifice.
Results and discussion: Cortisol values in ID pups were significantly (p<0.05) higher than IS pups at PNd24. However, both siblings groups had similar values in cortisol at PNd84 (p>0.05). Female pups also showed significant higher cortisol values (p<0.05) than male pups in both groups. Dams in both groups showed no significant (p>0.05) difference in cortisol during gestation. No significant difference was observed in organs' weight or adrenal glands’ length in both groups. Further investigations are suggested to validate whether-or-not maternal iron deficiency is an internal stressor causing hyperactivity in the offspring.