LIPID PROFILE;

Abstract

Objectives: To study the effect of maternal high-fat, high-cholesterol diet on thelipid profiles of rat offspring. Study Design: Randomized control trial (RCT). Place and durationof study: Department of Biochemistry, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi in collaborationwith Chemical Pathology Laboratory (CPL), Army Medical College, Rawalpindi and NationalInstitute of Health (NIH), Islamabad. The study was completed in six months. Material andMethods: Sixty adult female albino rats of Sprague-Dawley strain were divided into two groupsof 30 each. Male rats of the same strain were used for breeding. Ten days before expectedmating experimental group was shifted to a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, keeping the controlgroup on normal rat diet. Lipid profiles of pregnant dams of both groups were done at day20 of gestation. Offspring of both groups from weaning onwards were fed the normal rat diet.One male and one female offspring from each litter of both groups (30 male and 30 femalesfrom each group) were selected and their lipid profiles were evaluated at post-weaning andadult stage. Results: At day 20 of gestation, high-fat and cholesterol fed dams showed highlysignificant increase in TC, LDL-c, HDL-c and LDL-c / HDL-c ratio than the control dams (p <0.01). Maternal high-fat, high- cholesterol diet was found to raise some parameters of lipidprofiles of the offspring. Conclusions: Maternal high fat and cholesterol diet in pregnancy andlactation causes hyperlipidaemia in the rat offspring.