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Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to Cardiac Hypertrophy in Rat Offspring

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin D deficiency from conception until 4 weeks of age on the development of the heart in rat offspring. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed either a vitamin D deplete or vitamin D-replete diet for 6 weeks prior to pregnancy, during pregnancy and throughout lactation. Cardiomyocyte number was determined in fixed hearts of offspring at postnatal day 3 and 4 weeks of age using an optical disector/fractionator stereological technique. In other litters, cardiomyocytes were isolated from freshly excised hearts to determine the proportion of mononucleated and binucleated cardiomyocytes. Maternal vitamin D deficiency had no effect on cardiomyocyte number, cardiomyocyte area, or the proportion of mononucleated/binucleated cardiomyocytes in 3-day-old male and female offspring. Importantly, however, vitamin D deficiency led to an increase in left ventricle (LV) volume that was accompanied by an increase in cardiomyocyte number and size, and in the proportion of mononucleated cardiomyocytes at 4 weeks of age. Our findings suggest that exposure to vitamin D deficiency in utero and early life leads to delayed maturation and subsequent enhanced growth (proliferation and hypertrophy) of cardiomyocytes in the LV. This may lead to altered cardiac function later in life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy & Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Oksan Gezmish BSc & Mary Jane Black PhD

  2. Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Marianne Tare PhD, Helena C. Parkington PhD & Kristen J. Bubb BSc

  3. Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Ruth Morley MB, BChir, FRCPCH

  4. Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Enzo R. Porrello PhD

Authors
  1. Oksan Gezmish BSc
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  2. Marianne Tare PhD
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  3. Helena C. Parkington PhD
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  4. Ruth Morley MB, BChir, FRCPCH
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  6. Kristen J. Bubb BSc
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  7. Mary Jane Black PhD
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Correspondence to Mary Jane Black PhD.

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Gezmish, O., Tare, M., Parkington, H.C. et al. Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to Cardiac Hypertrophy in Rat Offspring. Reprod. Sci. 17, 168–176 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719109349536

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