Table 1.
Effect of reducing litter size on parameters related to autonomic nervous, catecholamine production and receptors in rats at PN21
| NL | SL | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sympathetic nerve activity (spikes (5 s)–1) | 23.14 ± 2.9 | 20.53 ± 3.2 | 0.55 |
| Parasympathetic nerve activity (spikes (5 s)–1) | 18.13 ± 2.1 | 18.80 ± 2.3 | 0.83 |
| Catecholamine content in adrenal (μm mg–1) | 5.78 ± 1.4 | 8.36 ± 1.4 | 0.20 |
| TH content in adrenal medulla (% of control) | 1.00 ± 0.1 | 0.90 ± 0.1 | 0.70 |
| β3ADR content in VAT (% of control) | 1.00 ± 0.1 | 0.55 ± 0.1* | 0.01 |
| β2ADR content in liver (% of control) | 1.00 ± 0.2 | 1.17 ± 0.3 | 0.58 |
Data are presented as means ± SEM of 5–10 pups for NL and SL groups with level of significance (*) set at P < 0.05. NL, normal litter; SL, small litter; TH, tyrosine hydroxylase; β3ADR, β3 adrenergic receptor; β2ADR, β2 adrenergic receptor; VAT, visceral adipose tissue.