MATERNAL LOW PROTEIN DIET AFFECTS MORPHOPHYSIOLOGY AND INCREASES APOPTOSIS IN THE ADRENAL GLANDS OF AGING RATS

Several conditions could affect the intrauterine environment, potentially resulting in disorders in the offspring`s developmental biology, a concept associated with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). One model used in this context is the maternal Low Protein Diet (LPD), which influences blood pressure, hypothalamic neurons and satiety, the incidence of prostate cancer, and changes in sex steroid hormones in offspring. Therefore, adrenals play an essential role in metabolism, regulating catabolic processes, electrolyte balance, and synthesis and secretion of several hormones.