Abstract
BackgroundWhile the adverse metabolic effects of exposure to obesogenic diets during both the prenatal and early postnatal period are well established, the relative impact of exposure during these separate developmental windows remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the relative contribution of exposure to a maternal cafeteria diet during pregnancy and lactation on body weight, fat mass and expression of lipogenic and adipokine genes in the offspring.MethodsWistar rats were fed either a control chow (Control, n = 14) or obesogenic cafeteria diet (CAF, n = 12) during pregnancy and lactation. Pups were cross-fostered to another dam in either the same or different dietary group within 24 h of birth. Body weight, body fat mass and expression of lipogenic and adipokine genes in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues were determined in offspring at weaning and 3 weeks post-weaning.ResultsOffspring suckled by CAF dams had a lower body weight (P < 0.05), but ~ 2-fold higher percentage body fat at weaning than offspring suckled by Control dams (P < 0.01), independent of whether they were born to a Control or CAF dam. At 6 weeks of age, after all offspring were weaned onto standard chow, males and females suckled by CAF dams remained lighter (P < 0.05) than offspring suckled by Control dams, but the percentage fat mass was no longer different between groups. Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA expression was ~ 25% lower in offspring suckled by cafeteria dams in males at weaning (P < 0.05) and in females at 6 weeks of age (P < 0.05). Exposure to a cafeteria diet during the suckling period alone also resulted in increased adipocyte Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) mRNA expression in females, and adiponectin and leptin mRNA expression in both sexes at weaning.ConclusionsThe findings from this study point to the critical role of the suckling period for deposition of adipose tissue in rodents, and the potential role of altered adipocyte gene expression in mediating these effects.
Highlights
While the adverse metabolic effects of exposure to obesogenic diets during both the prenatal and early postnatal period are well established, the relative impact of exposure during these separate developmental windows remains unclear
We have demonstrated that exposure to a cafeteria diet exclusively during the suckling period is associated with the same magnitude of effects on fat deposition, expression of adipokine genes in the offspring at weaning and reductions in with adipose tissue SREBP-1c mRNA in females at 3 weeks post-weaning, as exposure throughout the entire perinatal period
This finding points to the critical role of factors in the dams milk as in driving fat deposition and, potentially, contributing to programming altered adipocyte function in female offspring, which could in turn contribute to their increased susceptibility to obesity when fed on a cafeteria diet [4]
Summary
While the adverse metabolic effects of exposure to obesogenic diets during both the prenatal and early postnatal period are well established, the relative impact of exposure during these separate developmental windows remains unclear. Maternal obesity and consumption of obesogenic diets during pregnancy and lactation has long been shown to heighten the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring [1, 2] This effect is thought to be due to exposure of the developing fetus/neonate to an increased nutrient supply during critical periods of development, which results in permanent alterations to the structure, gene expression profile and function of key organs and regulatory systems responsible for metabolic control [3]. Feeding a diet of high variety and novelty induces persistent hyperphagia and is a better representation of human obesogenic diets [7, 8]
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