Long-term impact of maternal dietary intervention on metabolic homeostasis in male offspring in mice

Abstract

The long-term effect of changes in maternal dietary composition during pregnancy on the offspring's metabolic homeostasis is uncertain. We aimed to investigate the long-term effects of maternal balanced low-fat interventions on metabolic homeostasis of the offspring using a mouse model of gestational obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Male newborns in the balanced low-fat intervention group had significantly lower serum insulin and higher serum adiponectin levels than those in the HFD group. Changes in maternal dietary composition improved glucose tolerance in pups at 3 and 12 weeks of age. We also performed transcriptomic analysis of the liver in neonatal and 3-week-old pups. Genes in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway were significantly down-regulated in neonates in the balanced low-fat intervention group compared with the HFD group. A maternal balanced low-fat diet fully compensated for the detrimental effects of a maternal HFD on glucose metabolism, insulin tolerance, circulating insulin, dyslipidemia, and body weight gain in male offspring by changing the gene expression profile. These data suggest that maternal balanced low-fat intervention is critical for improving the metabolic health of future generations.