Increased Autophagy and Apoptosis in the Kidneys of Intrauterine Growth Restricted Rats.

Background: IUGR has been associated with nephron loss and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Materials and methods: We examined autophagy and apoptosis markers in the kidneys of IUGR Sprague Dawley rats induced by maternal low protein diet (LP), comparing them to controls. The autophagy marker LC3B, the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 were determined by quantitative immunoblotting. Immunohistochemical expressions of LC3B, Bax, and Bcl-2 were evaluated at 4weeks age. Glomerular counts (by maceration techniques) were performed at 5weeks. Results: The LP diet offspring were lighter (P<0.05). In IUGR kidneys, LC3B and Bax were increased at birth (p<0.05, p<0.001) and at 4weeks (p<0.0142, p<0.0001), Bcl-2 was decreased at birth (p<0.05), and there were less glomeruli (p<0.01) at 5weeks. Conclusions: Autophagy and apoptosis may have a role in IUGR associated decreased nephron number in Sprague rats.