INSULIN-SECRETION IN ADULT-RATS THAT HAD EXPERIENCED DIFFERENT UNDERFEEDING PATTERNS DURING THEIR DEVELOPMENT

Four populations of 70-day-old undernourished rats were studied. All r ats were submitted to a 65% restriction of food intake as follows: 1) undernutrition of the mother from day 14 of gestation until birth only (fetal period, group F), 2) undernourished during fetal and suckling periods only (group FS), 3) undernourished from day 14 of gestation un til day 70 of life (group FSA), and 4) undernourished from day 28 of l ife until day 70 (group A). Body weight, plasma glucose, glucose toler ance, basal plasma insulin, in vivo glucose-induced insulin secretion, pancreatic insulin content, and in vitro response of isolated islets to glucose and amino acids were investigated. Islet insulin content de creased in all four groups studied, and islet mass was found reduced i n group FSA. Glucose tolerance was decreased in group A, and in vitro response of islets decreased in both groups FSA and A. We conclude tha t two different adaptive processes should be considered: the possible long-term consequences of impaired pancreas development due to inadequ ate perinatal nutrition and the functional alteration of insulin secre tion to undernutrition in adulthood.