Table 1.
Summary of weight, blood pressures, and functional parameters in male offspring exposed to maternal high fructose intake, post-weaning high-salt diet, and melatonin at 12 weeks of age.
| Groups | ND/ND | HF/ND | ND/HS | HF/HS | HF/HS+M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortality | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| BW (g) | 432 ± 15 | 432 ± 20 | 492 ± 8 a,b | 479 ± 13 a,b | 435 ± 15 c,d |
| Left kidney weight (g) | 1.67 ± 0.11 | 1.75 ± 0.08 | 2.14 ± 0.05 a,b | 2.19 ± 0.08 a,b | 1.81 ± 0.09 c,d |
| Left kidney weight/100 g BW | 0.39 ± 0.02 | 0.41 ± 0.01 | 0.44 ± 0.01 | 0.46 ± 0.01 | 0.42 ± 0.01 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 135 ± 2 | 154 ± 3 a | 162 ± 1 a | 174 ± 2 a,b | 152 ± 1 b,c,d |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 82 ± 2 | 80 ± 2 | 85 ± 2 | 97 ± 6 a,b,c | 72 ± 3 a,b,c,d |
| Mean arterial pressure (mm Hg) | 100 ± 1 | 105 ± 1 a | 111 ± 2 a | 122 ± 4 a,b,c | 99 ± 2 b,c,d |
HF/ND, maternal high fructose intake; ND/HS, post-weaning high salt intake; HF/HS, maternal high fructose plus post-weaning high salt intake; HF/HS+M, maternal high fructose plus post-weaning high salt intake and treated with melatonin. BW, body weight; a p < 0.05 vs. ND/ND; b p < 0.05 vs. HF/ND; c p < 0.05 vs. ND/HS; d p < 0.05 vs. HF/HS. As shown in Figure 1, maternal HF diet induced a rise in SBP from 8 to 12 weeks of age. Additionally, the SBP significantly increased in ND/HS as well as in HF/HS group compared with that in ND/ND group from week 4 through 12. The increases of SBP in the HF/HS group was reduced by maternal melatonin therapy from 4 to 12 weeks of age. These data indicated that post-weaning HS intake aggravated maternal HF diet induced programmed hypertension in adult male offspring, which melatonin prevented.