Effect of maternal folic acid supplementation on hepatic one-carbon unit associated gene expressions in newborn piglets

Abstract

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) induces alterations to hepatic gene expressions which might program poor postnatal growth and health status. Maternal folic acid supplementation was administered in gilt diets to test whether hepatic mRNA expressions of some important genes induced by IUGR could be rescued by folic acid supplementation. Thirty-two Yorkshire gilts were allotted to two treatment groups of control (C folic acid 1.3 mg/kg) or folic acid supplementation (FS folic acid 30 mg/kg) after mating, to study the effects of maternal folic acid supplementation on the mRNA expression of methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), DNA methyltransferase1 (DNMT1), peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), obesity receptor (ob-R) and Acyl-CoA oxidase (AOX) in the liver of IUGR and NBW piglets. Blood and liver samples were collected for determinations of serum folic acid and gene expressions. The total number of born piglets, number of piglets born alive, average birth weight and 21 days average weight were not affected by dietary treatment (P>0.05), and serum folic acid concentration of piglets was greater in FS than C groups (P<0.05). Real-time PCR indicated that gene expression of MAT1A, MAT2A and DNMT1 were lower in IUGR piglets but could be elevated by maternal folic acid supplementation. Transcript expression levels of PPARγ, GR and AOX were higher in IUGR piglets, but were decreased to the level of normal piglets by maternal folic acid supplementation. Our results suggested that maternal folic acid supplementation be an effective way to rescue the gene expressions negatively induced by IUGR.