Relations Between Telomere Length, Plasma Glucagon-like Peptide 1, and Insulin in Early Life Stress-Exposed Nonhuman Primates

ABSTRACT Background Early life stress is associated with alterations in telomere length, a marker of accumulated stress and aging, and a risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Nonhuman primate maternal variable foraging demand (VFD) is a validated early life stress model resulting in anxiety- and depressive-like symptoms in offspring. Previous studies reported increased plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (pGLP-1) along with insulin resistance in this model. We investigated whether VFD-rearing related to adult telomere length and to these neuroendocrine markers. Methods Adult leukocyte telomere length was measured in VFD- (12 males, 13 females) and non-VFD-reared (9 males, 26 females) bonnet macaques. Associations between adult telomere length and adolescent fasting pGLP-1 or insulin resistance in VFD-reared versus non-VFD-reared groups were examined using regression modeling; controlling for sex, weight and age. Results: VFD subjects had relatively longer telomeres than non-VFD subjects (p=0.017), and females relatively longer than males (p=0.0004). Telomere length was positively associated with pGLP-1 (p=0.0009) and with reduced insulin sensitivity [p Conclusions Unexpectedly, VFD was associated with longer adult telomere length. Insulin resistance may lead to higher pGLP-1 levels in adolescence, which could protect telomere length in VFD offspring as adults. Associations between adult telomere length and adolescent insulin resistance and high pGLP-1 may reflect an adaptive, compensatory response after ELS exposure.