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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
03:19

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

801

Impaired prolactin actions mediate altered offspring metabolism induced by maternal high-fat feeding during lactation

Ericka A de Los Ríos1, Xarubet Ruiz-Herrera1, Viridiana Tinoco-Pantoja1

  • 1Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Juriquilla, Mexico.

FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
|February 7, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Maternal high-fat diets during lactation impair prolactin (PRL) in milk, leading to offspring metabolic dysfunction. Restoring PRL levels improves offspring metabolic health, highlighting PRL's crucial role.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Health
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Maternal diet significantly impacts offspring metabolic health.
  • Prolactin (PRL) in breast milk is vital, but its role in offspring development is unclear.
  • High-fat diets (HFD) may disrupt maternal milk composition and offspring metabolic programming.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how maternal HFD during lactation affects milk prolactin (PRL) levels.
  • To determine if altered milk PRL contributes to metabolic dysfunction in offspring.
  • To assess the therapeutic potential of PRL supplementation in mitigating HFD-induced metabolic issues.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) during lactation.
  • Maternal serum and milk PRL levels, mammary gland PRL receptor expression, and offspring metabolic parameters were analyzed.
  • Prolactin was administered to dams or pups to evaluate its effects.

Main Results:

  • Maternal HFD decreased milk PRL and mammary gland PRL receptor expression.
  • Offspring exhibited increased body weight, adiposity, fatty liver, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance.
  • PRL supplementation normalized mammary gland function, improved offspring metabolic profiles, and enhanced insulin sensitivity.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal HFD during lactation impairs prolactin signaling, negatively affecting mammary gland physiology.
  • Impaired prolactin actions are a key mechanism linking maternal HFD to offspring metabolic dysfunction.
  • Targeting prolactin signaling offers a potential strategy to prevent or treat metabolic disorders in offspring exposed to maternal HFD.

Keywords:
insulin resistancemetabolic programmingnursing pups

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