Title:Puerarin Affects 1HMR Spectroscopy Quantified Hepatic Fat Signal Fraction in
Intrauterine Growth Restricted Rats
Volume: 20
Author(s): Tao Wang, Alpha Kalonda Mutamba, Jing Bian, Xiaori He and DuJun Bian*
Affiliation:
- Department of Radiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
Keywords:
Intrauterine growth retardation, Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Puerarin, Hepatic fat signal fraction, Catch-up growth, BMI.
Abstract:
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the impact of puerarin early intervention on growth parameters and Hepatic Fat Signal Fraction (HFF)
quantification in Intrauterine Growth Restricted (IUGR) rats through Proton Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS).
Methods:
Pregnant rats were divided into three groups: control, IUGR with puerarin treatment, and IUGR without treatment. The treatment and nontreatment
groups were received a low-protein diet during pregnancy, while the control group received a normal diet. After birth, pups in the
treatment group received a unilateral intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg/d puerarin. Male rats were evaluated at 3,8 and 12 weeks, including
measurements of weight, body length and waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). Conventional magnetic resonance imaging and 1HMRS
were conducted using a 3.0 T whole-body MR scanner.
Results:
Newborn pups in the treatment and non-treatment groups showed significantly lower body weight, BMI, and body length at 3 weeks compared to
the control group. However, there were no significant differences in HFF and waist circumference between the three groups at 3 weeks. At 8 and
12 weeks post-delivery, significant differences in body weight, BMI, waist circumference were observed in newborn pups of IUGR non-treatment
rats compared to the control group. In contrast, there were no significant differences in body weight, BMI, waist circumference between the
treatment group and the control group at 8 and 12 weeks. Moreover, the treatment group exhibited notably higher HFF compared to the control
group at both time points. At 12 weeks post-birth, a significant difference in HFF was observed between the IUGR non-treatment and treatment
groups, although no significant difference was found at 8 weeks.
Conclusion:
Early intervention with puerarin following birth has a significant impact on liver fat content and may potentially reduce adult obesity among IUGR
rats.
