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Parental high-fat high-sugar diet programming and hypothalamus adipose tissue axis in male Wistar rats
Helena César1, Marcela Nascimento Sertorio2, Esther Alves de Souza2
1Programa de Pós-Graduação Interdisciplinar em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil.
Insights
Parental high-fat, high-sugar diets (HFS) can program offspring obesity. While post-weaning diets partially reversed effects, parental HFS significantly impacted offspring adiposity and hypothalamic inflammation into adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Developmental programming of metabolic health.
- Nutritional impact on offspring physiology.
- Endocrine regulation of appetite and metabolism.
Background:
- Maternal and paternal nutrition influence offspring health.
- The hypothalamus-adipose axis is crucial for metabolic regulation.
- High-fat, high-sugar (HFS) diets are linked to obesity development.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate differential contributions of maternal and paternal HFS diets on male offspring.
- Assess effects on development, adiposity, and hypothalamic inflammation.
- Examine outcomes from weaning through adulthood.
Main Methods:
- Male rats received control (CD) or HFS diets pre-conception.
- Dams received CD or HFS during gestation and lactation.
- Offspring groups: CD/CD, MH/CD, CD/PH, MH/PH; fed CD post-weaning.
Main Results:
- Maternal HFS increased offspring weight, visceral fat, and cholesterol; decreased hypothalamic weight.
- Paternal HFS lowered hypothalamic insulin receptors, glucose, and insulin levels.
- Combined parental HFS increased triacylglycerol, leptin, hypothalamic inflammation, and adult visceral adiposity.
Conclusions:
- Post-weaning control diet partially reversed parental HFS effects.
- Parental HFS induced lasting changes in offspring adiposity and hypothalamic inflammation.
- Early-life nutrition significantly programs long-term metabolic health.
Purpose:
Maternal nutrition during early development and paternal nutrition pre-conception can programme offspring health status. Hypothalamus adipose axis is a target of developmental programming, and paternal and maternal high-fat, high-sugar diet (HFS) may be an important factor that predisposes offspring to develop obesity later in life. This study aims to investigate Wistar rats' maternal and paternal HFS differential contribution on the development, adiposity, and hypothalamic inflammation in male offspring from weaning until adulthood.
Methods:
Male progenitors were fed a control diet (CD) or HFS for 10 weeks before mating. After mating, dams were fed CD or HFS only during pregnancy and lactation. Forming the following male offspring groups: CD-maternal and paternal CD; MH-maternal HFS and paternal CD; PH-maternal CD and paternal HFS; PMH-maternal and paternal HFS. After weaning, male offspring were fed CD until adulthood.
Results:
Maternal HFS diet increased weight, visceral adiposity, and serum total cholesterol levels, and decreased hypothalamic weight in weanling male rats. In adult male offspring, maternal HFS increased weight, glucose levels, and hypothalamic NFκBp65. Paternal HFS diet lowered hypothalamic insulin receptor levels in weanling offspring and glucose and insulin levels in adult offspring. The combined effects of maternal and paternal HFS diets increased triacylglycerol, leptin levels, and hypothalamic inflammation in weanling rats, and increased visceral adiposity in adulthood.
Conclusion:
Male offspring intake of CD diet after weaning reversed part of the effects of parental HFS diet during the perinatal period. However, maternal and paternal HFS diet affected adiposity and hypothalamic inflammation, which remained until adulthood.
