Changes in the cholesterol level in the tissues of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mother rats and their infants during the early postpartum period.

A diabetes-like state was induced by intravenous injection of a single dose of streptozotocin (SZ), 45mg/kg, in pregnant rats and the cholesterol level in the tissues of. the mothers and their infnats was examined during the early postpartum period. The following results were obtained. 1) The infants of the diabetic mothers were smaller than the infants of normal mothers and were markedly hyperglycemic. 2) Serum cholesterol was markedly increased on day 21 of pregnancy both in normal and diabetic groups. The concentration, however, declined nearly to the nonpregnant normal level on the 1st day after delivery in normal mothers, while it decreased stepwise until day 7 in diabetic mothers. 3) The cholesterol contents in the adrenal, liver and serum of infants of normal and diabetic groups increased progressively during the early postpartum period. However, the cholesterol level in these tissues was always lower in the infants of diabetic mothers than in normal infants; the concentration in the liver was considerably lower. 4) The adrenal cholesterol concentration decreased abruptly in the normal mother on day 1 after delivery and it returned to approximately normal level on day 7. On the other hand, no alteration in the cholesterol concentration was observed in the daibetic mother after parturition. In addition, the adrenal weight of the diabetic mother was heavier than that of the normal control mother at all stages examined. These results suggest impairment of the steroidogenesis in the maternal adrenal in response to endogenous ACTH during the parturition in a diabetic state. Moreover, it was clearly demonstrated that SZ-induced hyperglycemia in pregnant rats affected the cholesterol metabolism in the adrenal and liver in newborns.