Phospholipid profile of developing heart of rats exposed to low-protein diet in pregnancy

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Nutritional Science
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Myocardial phospholipid and fatty acid composition are crucial for heart function.
• Limited data exists on the impact of maternal dietary protein restriction on fetal heart development.
• Understanding these effects is vital for optimizing prenatal nutrition and infant cardiac health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of maternal low-protein (LP) diet on myocardial phospholipid and fatty acid profiles in male offspring.
• To assess changes in cardiac transcription factors regulating metabolism under LP diet conditions.
• To determine potential implications for neonatal heart metabolism.

Main Methods:

• Pregnant dams were fed either a normal (180 g/kg) or low-protein (90 g/kg) casein diet for 2 weeks pre-mating and throughout gestation.
• Myocardial phospholipid and fatty acid content of male offspring hearts were analyzed.
• mRNA levels of cardiac transcription factors, including myocyte enhancer factor-2C and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha, were assessed.

Main Results:

• Maternal LP diet led to increased lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin in offspring hearts.
• Significant reductions in saturated fatty acids (myristate, palmitate, stearate) and increases in unsaturated fatty acids (linoleate, arachidonate, decosahexanoate) were observed.
• LP group showed decreased myocyte enhancer factor-2C mRNA and increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha mRNA levels.

Conclusions:

• Maternal low-protein diet significantly alters the phospholipid and fatty acid composition of the developing heart.
• These alterations in cardiac lipid profiles and transcription factor expression may influence neonatal heart metabolism.
• Findings highlight the critical role of maternal nutrition in fetal cardiac development and long-term health.