Influence of Increased Postnatal Nutrient Intake on Kidney Cellular Development in Progeny of Protein-deficient Rats

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Abstract
Kidney development was studied in the progeny of both control and protein-deficient rats from birth to 90 days after birth. Retarded development in the kidneys of deficient progeny was indicated by reduced weight, cell number and nephron number. Increased postnatal nutrient intake, achieved by raising pups in litters of four animals, resulted in an increase in kidney cell number which was temporary in the progeny of deficient dams. The increase in cell number occurred in existing nephrons and did not appear to involve the formation of new nephrons. An increase in proximal convoluted tubule length occurred during the suckling period in kidneys of deficient progeny raised in small litters compared to those raised in normal-sized litters. The data suggest that the progeny of protein-deficient rats show a permanent retardation in kidney development which is not reversed by increased postnatal nutrient intake. A deficit of nephron number is specifically involved.