Abstract
The central objective of this project is to demonstrate that early-life stress is a risk factor for the development of gastrointestinal dysfunction and that males and females differ in how they cope with early-life stress. This differing response is believed to be present already in utero, whereby it is suggested that the male offspring is disadvantaged in responding to stressors during pregnancy. However, during postnatal development, the female appears to be the weaker sex when it comes to the development of a leaky gut and a dysfunctional gastrointestinal tract. In this project, we want the study sex-related differences in intestinal permeability during the period when the gastrointestinal tract undergoes extensive developmental changes. During this window of plasticity, stressors can disrupt the normal developmental process, having long-lasting effects on the gut. Therefore, we will include early life stress during late gestation (intrauterine growth restriction) or during the juvenile phase (chronic stress during artificial rearing) in our set-up to research whether males and females mount a differing response. This will be done in a newborn and juvenile piglet.
Researcher(s)
Research team(s)
Project type(s)