Early postnatal moderate catch‑up growth in rats with nutritional intrauterine growth restriction preserves pulmonary vascular and cognitive function in adulthood

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) with rapid postnatal catch‑up growth is strongly associated with pulmonary vascular dysfunction in adulthood, whereas IUGR with delayed growth in early postnatal life results in long‑term brain deficits. In the present study, it was hypothesized that IUGR with early moderate catch‑up growth may alleviate pulmonary vascular remodeling in adulthood without affecting memory function. An IUGR model was established by restricting maternal nutrition during pregnancy. Different growth patterns were achieved by adjusting the litter size in each group during lactation. Rats meeting the weight requirement at weaning were selected for subsequent studies at three time points (3, 9 and 13 weeks). Cognitive function was evaluated using a Y‑maze. Invasive hemodynamic measurements were conducted to measure the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP). In addition, primary pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (PVECs) were cultured to investigate their role in the increase in mPAP following rapid catch‑up growth. The results showed that memory function deficits in the rats in the delayed growth group were associated with reduced proliferation of neural stem cells in the subgranular zone of the hippocampus. Furthermore, moderate catch‑up growth at the three time points improved memory function while maintaining a normal mPAP. In adult IUGR rats experiencing rapid catch‑up growth, although memory function improved, elevated mPAP and medial thickening of pulmonary arterioles were observed. Additionally, PASMCs exhibited excessive proliferation, migration and anti‑apoptotic activity in the rapid catch‑up group, and PVECs also displayed excessive proliferation. These results suggested that moderate catch‑up growth after IUGR is a better strategy for optimal cognition and cardiovascular health in adulthood compared with rapid catch‑up growth or delayed growth.