Does bromocriptine play a role in decreasing oxidative stress for early weaned programmed obesity?

Abstract

Aims: Studies have demonstrated that early weaning can promote metabolic syndrome during adulthood and that obesity increases oxidative stress. Thus, we aimed to evaluate redox status in a pharmacological early weaning rodent model programmed for metabolic syndrome at adulthood.

Main methods: Lactating dams were randomly assigned into 2 groups: the early weaning group (BRO), which was treated intraperitoneally with bromocriptine (1 mg/day) to inhibit prolactin secretion for the last 3 days of lactation, and the control group (C), which received the BRO diluent for the same time period. The offspring were killed at 90 (PN90) and 180 (PN180) days after birth.

Key findings: Early weaning induced greater visceral adiposity and dyslipidemia. At PN90, the BRO offspring showed glucose intolerance with normoinsulinemia and increased plasma and liver superoxide dismutase, and liver glutathione peroxidase activities, which reduced the liver malondialdehyde but not the increased plasma malondialdehyde levels. However, the BRO offspring showed insulin resistance at PN180 and increased plasma glutathione peroxidase, liver superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities. These changes reduced the plasma and liver malondialdehyde levels, which aided in hepatocyte architecture preservation. Additionally, we observed that sirtuin 1 was overexpressed in the BRO group at PN90, but the increased expression was not maintained through PN180, which suggests unfavorable metabolic conditions in the older offspring.

Significance: Despite the observed obesity and glucose homeostasis dysfunction, our data suggest that the early weaning programming induced by bromocriptine can improve the offspring's redox status and may prevent liver damage during adulthood.

Keywords: Antioxidant system; Bromocriptine; Early weaning; Liver disease; Obesity.