Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (Group of Nutrigenomics, Biomarkers and Risk Evaluation-NuBE), University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Cra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain.
Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120, Palma, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2024 May 18;14(1):11366. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-62229-2.
Placental leptin may impact foetal development. Maternal overnutrition has been linked to increased plasma leptin levels and adverse effects on offspring, whereas choline, an essential nutrient for foetal development, has shown promise in mitigating some negative impacts of maternal obesity. Here, we investigate whether a maternal obesogenic diet alters foetal growth and leptin levels in the foetal stomach, amniotic fluid (AF), and placenta in late gestation and explore the potential modulating effects of maternal choline supplementation. Female rats were fed a control (CD) or a western diet (WD) four weeks before mating and during gestation, half of them supplemented with choline (pregnancy days 11-17). Leptin levels (in foetal stomach, AF, and placenta) and leptin gene expression (in placenta) were assessed on gestation days 20 and 21. At day 20, maternal WD feeding resulted in greater leptin levels in foetal stomach, placenta, and AF. The increased AF leptin levels were associated with a premature increase in foetal weight in both sexes. Maternal choline supplementation partially prevented these alterations, but effects differed in CD dams, causing increased AF leptin levels and greater weight in male foetuses at day 20. Maternal choline supplementation effectively mitigates premature foetal overgrowth induced by an obesogenic diet, potentially linked to increased AF leptin levels. Further research is needed to explore the sex-specific effects.
胎盘瘦素可能会影响胎儿发育。母体营养过剩与血浆瘦素水平升高和对子代的不良影响有关,而胆碱是胎儿发育所必需的营养物质,它在减轻母体肥胖的一些负面影响方面显示出了希望。在这里,我们研究了肥胖母体饮食是否会改变晚期妊娠胎儿胃、羊水 (AF) 和胎盘中的胎儿生长和瘦素水平,并探讨了母体胆碱补充的潜在调节作用。雌性大鼠在交配前和妊娠期前四周接受对照 (CD) 或西式饮食 (WD) 喂养,其中一半在妊娠第 11-17 天接受胆碱补充。在妊娠第 20 和 21 天评估了瘦素水平(胎儿胃、AF 和胎盘)和瘦素基因表达(胎盘)。在第 20 天,母体 WD 喂养导致胎儿胃、胎盘和 AF 中的瘦素水平升高。AF 中瘦素水平的升高与两性胎儿体重的提前增加有关。母体胆碱补充部分预防了这些变化,但在 CD 母体中效果不同,导致第 20 天 AF 瘦素水平升高和雄性胎儿体重增加。母体胆碱补充有效地减轻了肥胖饮食引起的胎儿过早过度生长,这可能与 AF 中瘦素水平的升高有关。需要进一步研究来探索性别特异性影响。
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015-10-13
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