Browsing by Author "Starr, Alexandra"
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Item Body Composition and Behavior: Metabolic Implications of Birth via Cesarean Section in Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster)(University of Delaware, 2022-05) Starr, AlexandraThroughout the United States the rates of performed cesarean section (CS) have increased. The scientific community has observed an association between birth by cesarean and the offspring's increased weight at maturity (Masukume, 2019). Studies are being conducted to better understand the relationship between cesarean delivery and offspring metabolism (Kozhimannil, 2013; Kenkel, 2020). To test this potential connection, a diet intervention study has been used to test vaginal delivery (VD) vs CS birth subject’s weight gain using a prairie vole model. Vole diets were either supplemented with a high-fat alternative mixed chow (MC) or fed standard vole chow (VC) to induce weight gain. Through this study, we collected sucrose preference, home cage, food consumption data from both birth mode groups and diet conditions. At sacrifice, we collected measures of weight, length, and adipose tissue to analyze for post mortem body composition in adulthood of each group. CS voles gained more weight than VD voles, despite having lower food consumption and greater locomotive activity. Body composition analysis found that CS animals were longer and heavier than their VD counterparts. Additionally, CS animals were found to have a larger percent brown adipose tissue relative to body weight compared to VD counterparts. Future studies will target the variables contributing to this weight gain among CS offspring by examining factors like muscle mass, and total adiposity through advanced imaging data. Future studies will incorporate exogenous oxytocin administration to examine the impact of birth mode on body weight, metabolism, adiposity, and later life development to determine the possible mechanisms impacting the metabolic outcomes seen in this study.Item Effects of maternal immune activation on offspring neuroimmune function at postnatal day 7(University of Delaware, 2023) Starr, AlexandraNeurodevelopment of the offspring can be affected by changes in maternal health, particularly associated with inflammation and systemic immune activation during pregnancy. For example, there is an epidemiological association between maternal immune activation and the risk of various neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and general learning disorders. This maternal immune activation (MIA) can come from various sources including obesity, gestational diabetes, stress, or infection; however, one possible mechanism of this association is comparatively unknown. This research sought to examine the effects of MIA on neuroimmune development in rat offspring. These target brain regions are important for many facets of behavior but are also thought to be affected in people with neurodevelopmental disorders. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50μg/ml/kg, i.p.) or saline on embryonic day (E15). After birth half-brains were dissected to collect brain regions of interest from offspring pups on postnatal day (P7). Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), expression of cytokines and neurotrophic genes were examined in the amygdala and the dorsal and ventral subregions of the hippocampus. In the ventral hippocampus of P7 offspring that were exposed to MIA, there was reduced expression of CD11b, a surface marker on microglia associated with inflammation. In the amygdala of P7 offspring, there was increased activation of IL-1β, a marker of inflammation, in male offspring compared to female offspring across both E15 treatment conditions. These findings provide us with a better understanding of how MIA may alter the neuroimmune function of male and female offspring at P7, a time point critical for neurodevelopment.