PERINATAL EXPOSURE TO A HIGH NACL DIET INCREASES THE NACL INTAKE OF ADULT-RATS

To determine the effect of differences in perinatal NaCl exposure on NaCl intake, adult Sprague-Dawley female rats were maintained on diets containing either 0.12, 1.0, or 3% NaCl throughout pregnancy and lactation. The offspring were continued on the these same diets to 30 days postpartum. Thereafter, all offspring were fed the same basal diet containing 1% NaCl. At 90 days of age, the adult offspring were placed in metabolism cages for 7 days and fed 1% NaCl chow for days 1-2, and 0% NaCl chow for days 3-7. On days 6-7, the animals were free to consume both water and 0.3 M NaCl. When dietary NaCl was available, adult rats exposed perinatally to the high NaCl diet excreted significantly more sodium on days 1-2 and 6-7 than did the rats exposed to either the mid or low NaCl diets. There were no differences in sodium excretion during sodium deprivation on days 3-5. The 0.3 M NaCl intake of the high NaCl-exposed rats was also significantly greater than the intake of the mid and low NaCl-exposed rats. In another group of adult rats, exposed perinatally to either a low or high NaCl diet, the spontaneous 24-hr intake of water and 0.3 M NaCl was measured after repeated episodes of acute sodium depletion. Sodium depletion was induced by 48 hr of dietary sodium deprivation combined with a single subcutaneous injection of 5 mg furosemide. Acute sodium depletion was found to augment existing differences in NaCl intake between low and high NaCl-exposed rats. Early NaCl exposure is likely to alter the neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in the control of NaCl intake. © 1990.