Maternal exposure to a high-fat diet showed unfavorable effects on the body weight, apoptosis and morphology of cardiac myocytes in offspring.

Abstract

The study intends to explore the functions of maternal high-fat diet exposure on progeny weight and heart. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, fed on a high-fat diet, were used to establish a model of weight gain before and during pregnancy. The body and cardiac weight of neonatal, 1-month- and 3-month-old rats were measured. The morphology of myocardial cells was observed by hemotoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of caspase-3, 8, 9 was measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. Normal pregnant rats, fed on a high-fat diet throughout pregnancy, had a significant increase in body and cardiac weight of their neonates, and more fat deposition in myocardial cells and an increased expression of caspase-3, 8, 9, compared with that of the normal pregnant rats + normal diet group. These phenomena were relieved through later diet control. Pregnant rats, which fed on a high-fat diet throughout pregnancy, showed more adverse effects on neonatal body and cardiac weight, myocardial cell fat deposition, and the expression of caspase-3, 8, 9, compared with pregnant rats exposed to high-fat diet + normal diet and pregnant rats exposed to high-fat diet + normal diet + exercise. These phenomena cannot be fully restored via controlling later diet. Our results stated that a proper diet before and during pregnancy was important for the cardiac health of offspring.