TIMING OF PREWEANLING MATERNAL EFFECTS ON DEVELOPMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN SHR RATS

Cross-fostering of litters was used to determine the timing of preweanling maternal influences on the development of high blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. The SHR litters were either reared by their natural mothers or reciprocally cross-fostered to normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) mothers for postnatal days 1-7, 1-14, 1-21, 8-21, or 15-21. All SHR litters were weaned at 21 days of age and males were housed in groups of two to three per cage until physiological measures were obtained at 100 days of age. At 100 days of age, all rats were surgically prepared with tail artery catheters and, on the day after surgery, direct measures of mean arterial pressure (MAP, mmHg) and heart rate (HR, bpm) were obtained while rats were resting and undisturbed in their individual home cages. Our findings indicate that cross-fostering SHR pups to WKY foster mothers was attended by significant effects on body weights at weaning and on adult MAPs. Compared to control SHRs, cross-fostered SHRs, with the exception of the 15-21-day group, were significantly heavier at weaning. By 100 days of age, body weights of SHRs were similar across treatment groups. Basal MAPs of SHRs cross-fostered for days 1-7, 1-14, 1-21, and 8-21, but not days 15-21, were reduced significantly compared to SHR controls reared by their natural mothers. In contrast, basal HRs were not affected in any of the cross-fostered SHR groups. These data indicate that maternal environmental influences on the development of high blood pressure in SHRs are limited to the first 2 weeks of postnatal life. This corresponds to the time prior to weaning when rat pups receive all of their nourishment from their mothers.