• Isabela Peixoto Martins, Rodrigo Vargas, Lucas Paulo Jacinto Saavedra, Sarah Rickli, Camila Cristina Ianoni Matiusso, Audrei Pavanello, Lucas Casagrande, Maria José Pastre, Júlia Berno Oliveira, Ariadny Martins de Almeida, Anna Carolina Huppes de Souza, Júlio Cezar de Oliveira, Ananda Malta, and MathiasPaulo Cezar de FreitasPCFDepartment of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Cellular Biology, State University of Maringa, Maringa, PR, Brazil..
• Department of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Cellular Biology, State University of Maringa, Maringa, PR, Brazil; Departament of Morphological Sciences, State University of Maringa, Maringa, PR, Brazil; Health Sciences Center, Unicesumar, Maringa, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: isa.peixotomartins@gmail.com.
• Nutrition. 2023 Apr 1; 108: 111945111945.

ObjectivesMaternal protein-caloric restriction during lactation can malprogram offspring into having a lean phenotype associated with metabolic dysfunction in early life and adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between nutritional stress, maternal behavior and metabolism, milk composition, and offspring parameters. Additionally, we focused on the role of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivation during lactation.MethodsDams were fed a low-protein diet (4% protein) during the first 2 wk of lactation or a normal-protein diet (20% protein) during all lactation. Analyses of dams, milk, and offspring were conducted on postnatal days (PD) 7, 14, and 21.ResultsBody weight and food intake decreased in dams, which was associated with reduced fat pad stores and increased corticosterone levels at PD 14. The stressed low-protein diet dams demonstrated alterations in behavior and offspring care. Despite nutritional deprivation, dams adapted their metabolism to provide adequate energy supply through milk; however, we demonstrated elevated corticosterone and total fat levels in milk at PD 14. Male offspring also showed increased corticosterone at PD 7, associated with a lean phenotype and alterations in white and brown adipose tissue morphology at PD 21.ConclusionExposure to protein-caloric restriction diet of dams during lactation increased the glucocorticoid levels in dams, milk, and offspring, which is associated with alterations in maternal behavior and milk composition. Thus, glucocorticoids and milk composition may play an important role in metabolic programming induced by maternal undernutrition.Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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