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(Hypertension. 1996;27:96-101.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Effects of Neonatal Growth on Adult Blood Pressures of Borderline Hypertensive Rats

Michael M. Myers; Sheryl R. Handler-Matasar; Harry N. Shair

From the Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and Division of Developmental Psychobiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the Department of Psychology, Barnard College, Columbia University (S.R.H.-M.), New York.

Correspondence to Michael M. Myers, PhD, Unit 40, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032. E-mail mmm3@columbia.edu.

Abstract We conducted this study to test the hypothesis that there are long-term effects of litter-size manipulations during the preweaning period on growth and adult blood pressure of rats. Litter size of genetically homogeneous borderline hypertensive rats, which were produced by cross-mating male Wistar-Kyoto rats with female spontaneously hypertensive rats, was manipulated from 10 to 16 days of age. In addition, a subset of males and females was castrated within the first 30 hours of life. Body weights were measured at several preweaning and postweaning ages, and tail-cuff blood pressures were recorded at 90 days of age. Intact and castrated pups of both sexes that were reared in small (n=4) litters from 10 to 16 days of age gained nearly twice the weight of animals reared in large (n=9 to 12) litters during this period. Intact males from small litters had significantly higher adult blood pressures than those from large litters. These long-term effects remained even in groups matched for adult weight and length. Neonatal castration of males completely blocked the consequences of litter-size manipulation on adult blood pressure, suggesting either an organizational or activational role for androgens. Neither intact nor neonatally castrated females exhibited differences in adult blood pressure as a function of litter-size manipulation.

Key Words: blood pressure • body weight • rats, inbred strains • castration

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