Effects of folic acid supplementation in pregnant mice on glucose metabolism disorders in male offspring induced by lipopolysaccharide exposure during pregnancy

Abstract

The DOHaD theory suggests that adverse environmental factors in early life may lead to the development of metabolic diseases including diabetes and hypertension in adult offspring through epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation. Folic acid (FA) is an important methyl donor in vivo and participates in DNA replication and methylation. The preliminary experimental results of our group demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 50 µg/kg/d) exposure during pregnancy could lead to glucose metabolism disorders in male offspring, but not female offspring; however, the effect of folic acid supplementation on glucose metabolism disorders in male offspring induced by LPS exposure remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, pregnant mice were exposed to LPS on gestational day (GD) 15–17 and were given three doses of FA supplementation (2 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, or 40 mg/kg) from mating to lactation to explore its effect on glucose metabolism in male offspring and the potential mechanism. This study confirmed that FA supplementation of 5 mg/kg in pregnant mice improved glucose metabolism in LPS-exposed offspring during pregnancy by regulating gene expression.