Effects of prenatal malnutrition and postnatal nutritional rehabilitation on CA3 hippocampal pyramidal cells in rats of four ages.

The effects of prenatal protein malnutrition and postnatal nutritional rehabilitation on CA3 hippocampal pyramidal cells were investigated in rats of 15, 30, 90 and 220 days of age. Female rats were fed either 6% or 25% casein diet 5 weeks before conception. Following delivery, litters born the same day to 6% and 25% casein diet rats were randomly cross-fostered to 25% casein diet dams and maintained on that diet until sacrificed. In 288 rapid-Golgi impregnated cells, we measured somal size, length of the longest apical dendrite, number of apical and basal dendrites intersecting 10 concentric rings 38 microns apart, synaptic spine density in three 50 microns segments of the largest apical dendrite and the thorny excrescence area. Prenatal protein malnutrition produced differential morphological changes on CA3 pyramidal cells. We observed significant decreases of somal size (at 90 and 220 days of age), of length of apical dendrites (at 15 days old), of apical (in 15 day animals) and basal (in 15, 90 and 220 day animals) dendritic branching and of spine density (in 30, 90 and 220 day animals). We also found significant increases of apical dendritic branching in 90 and 220 day old rats. These results indicate that prenatal protein malnutrition affects normal development and produces long-term effects on CA3 pyramidal cells.