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Moderate calorie restriction during gestation programs offspring for lower BAT thermogenic capacity driven by thyroid

M Palou1, T Priego1, M Romero2

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (Nutrigenomics), University of the Balearic Islands and CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|April 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Maternal calorie restriction impairs offspring

Area of Science:

  • Metabolic research
  • Obesity research
  • Nutritional science

Background:

  • Maternal calorie restriction during pregnancy can lead to offspring overweight and metabolic issues.
  • Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is crucial for thermogenesis and a potential target for obesity treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if gestational undernutrition impairs offspring's BAT thermogenic capacity.
  • To investigate the underlying mechanisms of impaired thermogenesis in offspring exposed to maternal calorie restriction.

Main Methods:

  • Studied offspring from control and calorie-restricted (CR) rats at 25 days old.
  • Assessed protein (uncoupling protein 1, tyrosine hydroxylase) and mRNA (lipoprotein lipase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, deiodinase type II) levels in BAT.
  • Measured blood thyroid hormones and body temperature response to cold exposure.

Main Results:

  • CR offspring showed reduced BAT UCP1, TyrOH protein, and LPL, CPT1 mRNA levels, along with lower plasma T3.
  • CR males had lower DIO2 mRNA levels.
  • CR rats exhibited transient body temperature drops during cold exposure but recovered despite lower BAT UCP1.

Conclusions:

  • Gestational calorie restriction diminishes BAT thermogenic capacity via impaired sympathetic innervation and thyroid signaling.
  • These alterations increase cold sensitivity and may contribute to obesity and metabolic disturbances later in life.
Abstract

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