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Received May 13, 2002
Accepted after revision October 14, 2002
1 Centre for FOAD, Level F (MP 887), Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton SO16 5YA, UK
2 Department of Physiology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kpoore{at}soton.ac.uk.
Programming of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during prenatal and early postnatal life may explain, in part, the association between low birth weight (BW) and the increased incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic disease in later life. This study examined the effect of natural variations in BW on HPA axis function in juvenile and adult pigs. Low (< 1.47 kg) and high (> 1.53 kg) BW purebred Large White piglets from 15 litters were studied at 3 (n = 47) and 12 (n = 17) months of age. At each age, HPA axis function was tested by hypoglycaemic challenge (I.V. insulin; 0.5 IU kg-1) and ACTH challenge (I.V. Synacthen, 2 µg (kg body weight)-1). At 3 months of age, adrenal size, the ratio of adrenal cortical to medullary area and stimulated cortisol concentrations were elevated in pigs that were of low BW and that remained small after birth. At 12 months of age, thinness at birth was associated with elevated adrenal responsiveness to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that impaired fetal and early postnatal growth are associated with altered HPA axis function in later life.
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