Perinatal Exposure to low Protein Diets Perturbs some Ovarian Genes Critical to Reproductive Health from One Generation to Another

The maintenance of fertility status critically depends on the proper functioning of the ovary, which is also a reflect of normal development of ovarian follicles. Malnourished males and females have been scientifically proven to form a major infertile population in developing countries. Proper nutrition therefore forms a baseline for functional reproductive makeup. This study seeks to assess the mRNA expression level of ovarian inhibin alpha (IHA), Estrogen receptor (ERα), Aromatase, CCAAT-enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPA) and Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 (FGFR1) in the F 0 and F 1 rat progeny subjected to perinatal dietary protein deficiency. Rats in four (4) groups were fed different grade of protein deficient diets (5%, 10%, 21% protein diets and rat chow). Total RNA was extracted from the snap frozen ovary excised from the different rat groups, checked for quality, converted the cDNA and RT-qPCR was used to quantify amount of each mRNA expressed in the tissue. Result shows severe alteration in the level of expression of some of the key genes assessed essential for sustenance of reproductive health from one generation to another. Inhibin alpha was downregulated while CEBPA was upregulated in 5%PD groups at F 1 and F 2 , ERα was downregulated only at first generation but normalized in the second generation. Aromatase in the 10% group was upregulated at F 1 and F 2 generation, while in the 5%PD, it was downregulated only at F 2 . These modulations mediate the effects of dietary protein deficiency on the ovarian and reproductive function from one generation to another.