High Fat High Sucrose Diet Modifies Uterine Contractility and Cervical Resistance in Pregnant Rats: The Roles of Sex Hormones, Adipokines and Cytokines

Abstract

Background: In obesity, the adipose tissue becomes a very significant endocrine organ producing different factors called adipokines, such as leptin, adiponectin and kisspeptin; however, no data are available about their actions on uterine contraction in obese pregnant rats. Our aim was to study the impact of obesity on pregnant uterine contraction in a rat model. Methods: Obesity was induced by the consumption of a high fat high sucrose diet (HFHSD) for 9 weeks, including pregnancy. Glucose tolerance, sex hormone, cytokine and adipokine levels were measured. Uterine contractions and cervical resistance, as well as their responses to adipokines, were tested along with the expressions of their uterine receptors. Results: HFHSD increased body weight, and altered glucose tolerance and fat composition. The uterine leptin and kisspeptin pathway affect increased. The levels of proinflammatory cytokines were reduced, while the plasma level of progesterone was increased, resulting in weaker uterine contractions, and improving the uterine relaxing effects of adipokines. HFHSD reduced cervical resistance, but the core effect of adipokines is difficult to determine. Conclusions: Obesity in pregnant rats reduces uterine contractility and cytokine-induced inflammatory processes, and therefore obese pregnant rat methods are partially applicable for modelling human processes.

High-Fat and High-Sucrose Diet Leads to Skeletal Muscle Loss and Bladder Dysfunction in Rat

“…According to previous studies, HFS diet increased the weight of some organs, such as liver and pancreas, 16 whereas it reduced the uterine and placental weights in pregnant rats. 17 Reduction of the blood supply to the bladder might influence the bladder weight, although no significant change was observed in bladder weight in the atherosclerosisinduced chronic bladder ischemic animal model. [10][11][12] The greatest question is whether there is a direct association between skeletal muscle loss and bladder dysfunction following bladder ischemia in HFS diet rats.…”