The Impact of Maternal High-Fat Diet on Stem Cell Programming and Disease Susceptibility in Offspring
Jiahui Gao1, Qinglu Tian1, Siying Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Insights
Maternal high-fat diet (MHFD) impairs fetal stem cell development, increasing offspring disease risk. This review explores MHFD impacts on various stem cells and discusses therapeutic interventions for healthier outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Stem cells are crucial for fetal development, health, and disease.
- Maternal high-fat diet (MHFD) during pregnancy and lactation can disrupt fetal development.
- MHFD may negatively impact stem cell programming and offspring health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effects of MHFD on various stem cell types in offspring.
- To elucidate the molecular and metabolic pathways involved.
- To highlight potential therapeutic strategies to counteract MHFD's adverse effects.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing current research findings.
- Focus on molecular and metabolic pathways.
- Emphasis on epigenetic modifications and gut microbiota dysbiosis.
Main Results:
- MHFD affects hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), osteo-progenitors, and intestinal stem cells (ISCs).
- MHFD-induced perturbations involve epigenetic changes and gut dysbiosis.
- These alterations increase offspring risk for metabolic, neurodevelopmental, and inflammatory diseases.
Conclusions:
- MHFD significantly impacts stem cell development and offspring health.
- Epigenetic modifications and gut microbiota dysbiosis are key mediating factors.
- Dietary, epigenetic, and microbiota-targeted therapies show promise in mitigating MHFD's effects.
Abstract:
Stem cells are the fundamental origin of fetal life, and their proliferation and differentiation are pivotal for development, health, and disease susceptibility. Emerging evidence indicates that a maternal high-fat diet (MHFD) during pregnancy and lactation disrupts the intrauterine milieu, thereby impairing stem cell development. This review synthesizes current findings on maternal HFD effects on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), osteo-progenitors, and intestinal stem cells (ISCs) in offspring. Particular emphasis is placed on molecular pathways and metabolic pathways through which maternal HFD regulates stem cell fate. Perturbations in these mechanisms, mediated by epigenetic modifications and gut microbiota dysbiosis, elevate the risk of metabolic disorders, neurodevelopmental deficits, and inflammatory diseases in progeny. Furthermore, this review highlights potential therapeutic strategies, including dietary interventions, epigenetic modulators, and microbiota-targeted therapies, that may mitigate the adverse impact of maternal HFD on stem cell programming and long-term health.
