SummaryMaternal protein malnutrition during the critical stages of development (pregnancy, lactation and first infancy) can lead to adult hypertension. Studies have shown that renal and cardiovascular dysfunctions can be associated to the development of hypertension in humans and rats exposed to maternal protein malnutrition. The etiology of hypertension, however, includes a complex network involved in central and peripheral blood pressure control. Recently, the hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system in protein-restricted rats has been reported. Studies have shown that protein malnutrition during pregnancy and/or lactation alters blood pressure control through mechanisms that include central sympathetic-respiratory dysfunctions and epigenetic modifications, which may contribute to adult hypertension. Thus, this review will discuss the historical context, new evidences of neurogenic disruption in respiratorysympathetic activities and possible epigenetic mechanisms involved in maternal protein malnutrition induced-hypertension.
K E Y W O R D Shypertension, malnutrition, phenotypic plasticity, sympathetic activity, ventilation
| INTRODUCTIONArterial hypertension (AH) affects more than 1 billion people around the world and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular dysfunction, recognized as the main cause of morbidity and mortality. Because of the interaction between the sympathetic and respiratory nervous systems, growing evidence supports the notion that an increase in sympathetic and respiratory activities plays an important role in the development of hypertension. [8][9][10] This observation has prompted the development of several studies evaluating sympathetic and respiratory activities and sensitivity of peripheral and central chemoreceptors in various hypertension models. For example, in chronic intermittent hypoxia 8,11 in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) 4 and in renovascular hypertension, 12 augmented sympathetic-respiratory activities and higher peripheral chemosensitivity were seen to be associated to hypertension.