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Published on: November 1, 2019
Effects of a maternal high-fat diet on offspring behavioral and metabolic parameters in a rodent model
S A Johnson1, A B Javurek1, M S Painter1
11Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
Insights
Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) exposure during pregnancy programs offspring for increased obesity risk. Offspring exhibit reduced physical activity and energy expenditure, alongside behavioral changes, highlighting developmental origins of health and disease.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Metabolic research
Background:
- Maternal obesity and high-fat diet (HFD) intake during gestation and lactation can negatively impact offspring's long-term health.
- The specific behavioral and metabolic vulnerabilities in offspring exposed perinatally to an HFD are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of maternal HFD on offspring's neurobehavioral and metabolic parameters.
- To identify specific vulnerabilities in spatial learning, memory, anxiety, activity, and energy expenditure.
Main Methods:
- Oldfield mice (Peromyscus polionotus) were used, with females fed a control or HFD before and during gestation and lactation.
- Offspring were assessed for spatial learning, memory, anxiety, exploratory behavior, physical activity, and metabolic parameters in adulthood.
Main Results:
- Maternal HFD led to decreased latency in spatial learning tasks in male offspring.
- Both male and female offspring showed increased anxiety-like behaviors but reduced exploratory and physical activity.
- Offspring exposed to maternal HFD had lower resting energy expenditure and higher adult body weight.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal exposure to an HFD can program offspring for increased obesity susceptibility.
- Reduced physical activity and energy expenditure appear to be key factors mediating these effects.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the neural and metabolic mechanisms involved.
Abstract:
Maternal diet-induced obesity can cause detrimental developmental origins of health and disease in offspring. Perinatal exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) can lead to later behavioral and metabolic disturbances, but it is not clear which behaviors and metabolic parameters are most vulnerable. To address this critical gap, biparental and monogamous oldfield mice (Peromyscus polionotus), which may better replicate most human societies, were used in the current study. About 2 weeks before breeding, adult females were placed on a control or HFD and maintained on the diets throughout gestation and lactation. F1 offspring were placed at weaning (30 days of age) on the control diet and spatial learning and memory, anxiety, exploratory, voluntary physical activity, and metabolic parameters were tested when they reached adulthood (90 days of age). Surprisingly, maternal HFD caused decreased latency in initial and reverse Barnes maze trials in male, but not female, offspring. Both male and female HFD-fed offspring showed increased anxiogenic behaviors, but decreased exploratory and voluntary physical activity. Moreover, HFD offspring demonstrated lower resting energy expenditure (EE) compared with controls. Accordingly, HFD offspring weighed more at adulthood than those from control fed dams, likely the result of reduced physical activity and EE. Current findings indicate a maternal HFD may increase obesity susceptibility in offspring due to prenatal programming resulting in reduced physical activity and EE later in life. Further work is needed to determine the underpinning neural and metabolic mechanisms by which a maternal HFD adversely affects neurobehavioral and metabolic pathways in offspring.
