| Abstract: | Respiration rate, respiration control and ADP of liver mitochondria were studies in one-, ten-, and twenty-day-old rats born of females who had received subcutaneous insulin injections (0.25 U/100 g body weight) on days 5-7, 11-13 and 19-21 of pregnancy or glucose (1 g/100 g body weight, in the morning before feeding). Caprylate, an intermediate of the lipid metabolism, was used as the substrate for oxidation. In the control, caprylate oxidation in one-day old rats occurred at a low rate without providing for synthesis of ATP from ADP and phosphate. Insulin administration and alimentary hyperglycemia in females on days 5-7 of pregnancy had no significant effect on respiration rate of liver mitochondria in progeny of all ages tested. Administration of the above preparations on days 11-13 and 19-21 of pregnancy improved caprylate oxidation in mitochondria of the newborn rats. In other series the difference between experiments and the control was insignificant. Metabolic changes in the newborns are shown to be related to hyperinsulinemia in pregnant females. |
