The arcuate NPY, POMC, and CART expressions responding to food deprivation are exaggerated in young female rats that experienced neonatal maternal separation.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of neonatal maternal separation on the hypothalamic feeding peptides expression in young female offspring. Sprague–Dawley pups were separated from dam for 3 h daily during PND 1–14 (MS), or left undisturbed except routine cage cleaning (NH). Weanling female pups were housed in group and the arcuate mRNA levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and cocaine–amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) were examined at two months of age with or without food deprivation. The basal arcuate expression levels of these peptides did not differ between NH and MS group. However, a 48 h of food deprivation significantly increased NPY mRNA level, and decreased POMC and CART, in the arcuate nucleus of MS females, but not in NH females. Fasting-induced elevation of the plasma corticosterone tended to be greater in MS group than in NH, but the basal levels did not differ between the groups. Plasma leptin levels were decreased in MS females compared with NH, and food deprivation significantly suppressed the leptin levels both in NH and MS groups. Results suggest that MS experience may increase stress vulnerability in female rats and exaggerate the feeding peptides expression in the arcuate nucleus responding to metabolic stress food deprivation.