Maternal diet-induced obesity during suckling period programs offspring obese phenotype and hypothalamic...

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Metabolic disease research
• Developmental programming

Background:

• Early life nutrition and hormonal changes can program offspring for metabolic diseases.
• Maternal obesity during lactation is a potential risk factor for offspring metabolic dysfunction.
• Understanding the impact of maternal diet on offspring metabolic health is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if maternal obesity during lactation programs offspring towards metabolic syndrome and obesity.
• To assess peripheral glucose metabolism in offspring exposed to maternal obesity.
• To analyze hypothalamic leptin and insulin signaling pathways in offspring of obese mothers.

Main Methods:

• Female Wistar rats were divided into control and diet-induced obesity (DIO) groups during lactation.
• Offspring were fed a standard diet post-weaning until 91 days old.
• Measurements included body fat, glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, pancreatic function, and hypothalamic signaling pathways.

Main Results:

• DIO dams showed increased body fat and insulin resistance, with altered breast milk composition.
• DIO offspring were overweight, hyperphagic, and had higher adiposity, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance.
• DIO offspring displayed pancreatic islet hypertrophy, increased beta-cell proliferation, and impaired hypothalamic leptin/insulin signaling (reduced ObRb, JAK2, STAT-3, IRβ, PI3K, Akt; increased NPY, decreased POMC).

Conclusions:

• Maternal obesity during lactation malprograms rat offspring, leading to obesity and metabolic syndrome.
• Offspring exhibit impaired glucose homeostasis and both peripheral and central insulin resistance.
• The study highlights the critical role of the maternal lactation environment in metabolic programming and melanocortin system function.