Maternal and offspring high-fat diet leads to platelet hyperactivation in male mice offspring

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Metabolic Health
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Maternal over-nutrition is linked to offspring diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• The specific impact of maternal diet on offspring platelet function remains largely unstudied.
• Platelets play a critical role in cardiovascular health and thrombosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of maternal high-fat (HF) diet on platelet function in lean and obese offspring.
• To determine if a combined maternal and offspring HF diet exacerbates platelet abnormalities.
• To identify potential sex-specific differences in diet-induced platelet responses.

Main Methods:

• Mice dams were fed control (C) or HF diets before and during pregnancy.
• Offspring (male and female) were fed C or HF diets for 26 weeks.
• Phenotypic, metabolic, and platelet function analyses were performed on experimental groups (C/C, C/HF, HF/C, HF/HF).

Main Results:

• Offspring exposed to HF diets exhibited obesity, fat accumulation, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance.
• Female offspring did not show platelet hyperactivity.
• Male offspring from HF/HF group displayed larger, hyperactive platelets with oxidative stress compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Maternal and offspring high-fat diet consumption leads to platelet hyperactivation in male offspring.
• This 'double-hit' effect suggests a novel mechanism contributing to increased cardiovascular risk.
• Findings highlight the critical role of maternal nutrition in offspring cardiovascular health and platelet physiology.