Epigenetic mechanisms linking early nutrition to long term health

Maternal inulin alleviates high-fat diet-induced lipid disorder in offspring by epigenetically modulating hypothalamus feeding circuit-related genes

Increasing evidence supports the existence of fetal-originated adult diseases. Recent research indicates that the intrauterine environment affects the fetal hypothalamic energy intake center. Inulin is a probiotic that can moderate metabolic disorders, but whether maternal inulin intervention confers long-term metabolic benefits to lipid metabolism in offspring in their adult lives and the mechanism involved are unknown. Here, we used a maternal overnutrition model that was induced by excess energy intake before and during pregnancy and lactation and maternal inulin intervention was performed during pregnancy and lactation. The hypothalamic genome methylation in offspring was analyzed using a methylation array. The results showed that maternal inulin treatment modified the maternal high-fat diet (HFD)-induced increases in body weight, adipose tissue weight, and serum insulin and leptin levels and decreases in serum adiponectin levels. Maternal inulin intervention regulated the impairments in hypothalamic leptin resistance, induced the methylation of Socs3, Npy, and Il6, and inhibited the methylation of Lepr in the hypothalamus of offspring. In conclusion, maternal inulin intervention modifies offspring lipid metabolism, and the underlying mechanism involves the methylation of genes in the hypothalamus feeding circuit.

One carbon metabolism and its implication in health and immune functions

One carbon (1C) metabolism is critical for cellular viability and physiological homeostasis. Starting from its crucial involvement in purine biosynthesis to posttranslational modification of proteins, 1C metabolism contributes significantly to the development and cellular differentiation through methionine and folate cycles that are pivotal for cellular function. Genetic polymorphisms of several genes of these pathways are implicated in disease pathogenesis and drug metabolism. Metabolic products of 1C metabolism have significant roles in epigenetic modifications through DNA and histone protein methylation. Homocysteine is a product that has clinical significance in the diagnosis and prognosis of several critical illnesses, including chronic immune diseases and cancers. Regulation of the function and differentiation of immune cells, including T-cells, B-cells, macrophages, and so forth, are directly influenced by 1C metabolism and thus have direct implications in several immune disease biology. Recent research on therapeutic approaches is targeting nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitochondrial 1C metabolism to manage and treat metabolic (i.e., type 2 diabetes), neurodegenerative (i.e., Alzheimer's disease), or immune (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis) diseases. 1C metabolism is being explored for therapeutic intervention as a common determinant for a spectrum of immune and metabolic diseases. Identifying the association or correlation between essential metabolic products of this pathway and disease onset or prognosis would further facilitate the clinical monitoring of diseases.

Early life programming by diet can play a role in risk reduction of otitis in dogs

Introduction

Otitis in dogs is often chronic while local treatment primarily consists of flushing, antibiotics, and/or antifungals. We were interested in finding early life variables that associate with otitis later in life, preferably some that could be modified.

Methods

A cross-sectional hypothesis-driven study with longitudinal data was performed to search for associations between pre- and postnatal exposures, and the incidence of owner-reported otitis in dogs at over 1 year of age. The multivariate logistic regression analysis study included data from 3,064 dogs and explored 26 different early life variables at four early life stages: prenatal, neonatal, postnatal, and puppyhood. We compared two feeding patterns, a non-processed meat-based diet (NPMD, raw) and an ultra-processed carbohydrate-based diet (UPCD, dry).

Results

We report that eating a NPMD diet significantly decreased the risk of otitis later in life, while eating a UPCD diet significantly increased the risk. This was seen in different life stages of mother or puppy: The maternal diet during pregnancy (p=0.011) and the puppies' diet from 2 to 6 months of age (p=0.019) were both significantly associated with otitis incidence later in life, whereas the puppies' first solid diet, was associated in the same way, but did not reach significance (p=0.072). Also, analyzing food ratios showed that when puppies were consuming >25% of their food as NPMD it significantly decreased their incidence of otitis later in life, while a ratio of >75% UPCD in their diet significantly increased their risk of otitis. Also, if the dog was born in the current family, was exposed to sunlight for more than 1 hour daily, and was raised on a dirt floor during puppyhood, there was a lower risk of otitis development later in life.

Discussion

The findings only suggest causality, and further studies are required. However, we propose that veterinarians, breeders, and owners can impact otitis risk by modifying factors such as diet and environment.

Nontargeted metabolomics reveals the potential mechanism underlying the association between birthweight and metabolic disturbances

AIMS

The aim of this study was to characterize the metabolites associated with small- and large-gestational-age newborns in maternal and cord blood, and to investigate potential mechanisms underlying the association between birthweight and metabolic disturbances.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We recorded detailed anthropometric data of mother-offspring dyads. Untargeted metabolomic assays were performed on 67 pairs of cord blood and maternal fasting plasma samples including 16 pairs of small-for-gestational (SGA, < 10th percentile) dyads, 28 pairs of appropriate-for-gestational (AGA, approximate 50 percentile) dyads, and 23 pairs of large-for-gestational (LGA, > 90th percentile) dyads. The association of metabolites with newborn birthweight was conducted to screen for metabolites with U-shaped and line-shaped distributions. The association of metabolites with maternal and fetal phenotypes was also performed.

RESULTS

We found 2 types of metabolites that changed in different patterns according to newborn birthweight. One type of metabolite exhibited a "U-shaped" trend of abundance fluctuation in the SGA-AGA-LGA groups. The results demonstrated that cuminaldehyde level was lower in the SGA and LGA groups, and its abundance in cord blood was negatively correlated with maternal BMI (r = -0.352 p = 0.009) and weight gain (r = -0.267 p = 0.043). 2-Methoxy-estradiol-17b 3-glucuronide, which showed enrichment in the SGA and LGA groups, was positively correlated with homocysteine (r = 0.44, p < 0.001) and free fatty acid (r = 0.42, p < 0.001) in maternal blood. Serotonin and 13(S)-HODE were the second type of metabolites, denoted as "line-shaped", which both showed increasing trends in the SGA-AGA-LGA groups in both maternal and cord blood and were both significantly positively correlated with maternal BMI before pregnancy. Moreover, cuminaldehyde, serotonin, 13(S)-HODE and some lipid metabolites showed a strong correlation between maternal and cord blood.

CONCLUSIONS

These investigations demonstrate broad-scale metabolomic differences associated with newborn birthweight in both pregnant women and their newborns. The U-shaped metabolites associated with both the SGA and LGA groups might explain the U-shaped association between birthweight and metabolic dysregulation. The line-shaped metabolites might participate in intrauterine growth regulation. These observations might help to provide new insights into the insulin resistance and the risk of metabolic disturbance of SGA and LGA babies in adulthood and might identify potential new markers for adverse newborn outcomes in pregnant women.

PAH-induced metabolic changes related to inflammation in childhood asthma

Epidemiological studies have shown that PAHs may exert adverse effects on childhood asthma. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate this process in view of metabolic pathways, especially one-carbon metabolism and tryptophan metabolism. Fifty asthmatic children and 50 control subjects were recruited for this study. Serum IgE and IL-17A levels were detected by ELISA. Serum PAH concentrations were measured by GC-MS. One-carbon-related metabolites and tryptophan metabolites were determined by UPLC-Orbitrap-MS. DNA methylation was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing PCR. ChIP assays were used to examine H3K4me3 enrichment on IL-17A gene. Multivariable linear regression was performed to evaluate the association between PAHs and childhood asthma mediated by intermediators. HE staining in lung tissue, IgE and IL-17A in BALF, metabolic profiles in urine, and Ahr, Il-17a, and Cyp1a1 gene expression were determined in PAH-exposed mice. Serum Fla level was associated with childhood asthma (OR = 1.380, 95% CI: 1.063-1.792), and had a great effect on one-carbon metabolites, especially SAH, SAM, and Ser, which exerted significant mediation effects on the relationship between the Fla concentration and asthma. Moreover, we did find significant mediation effects between serum Fla and asthma by LINE-1 DNA methylation and H3K4me3 levels in the IL-17A promoter region. The differential Trp metabolites, such as Trp, tryptamine, IA, IAA, indole, IAld, and IAAld, indicated that asthmatic children had increased indole-AhR pathway. Mediation analysis failed to show a mediator effect of Trp metabolites in the association between PAHs and childhood asthma. An animal study confirmed that PAH exposure increased methylation levels, and altered Trp metabolite-AhR-IL-17A axis, which may be influenced by gender. PAHs disturbed one-carbon metabolism to influence the methyl group refilling DNA methylation and histone methylation, and disturbed tryptophan metabolism to regulate Th17-cell differentiation, which may elevate serum IL-17A concentration in asthmatic children.

DNA methylation of pck1 might contribute to the programming effects of early high-carbohydrate diets feeding to the glucose metabolism across two generations in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of early high-carbohydrate stimulus on glucose metabolism in zebrafish (Danio rerio) over two generations and explore the mechanisms that explain those nutritional programming effects via epigenetic modifications. The larvae were delivered a high-carbohydrate diet (53.66%) that was used as an early nutritional stimulus from the first feeding to the end of the yolk sac (FF) and 5 days after yolk-sac exhaustion (YE). The larvae (F0) and their offspring (F1) were then both fed the control diet (22.69%) until adulthood (15 weeks), and they were challenged with a high-carbohydrate diet (35.36%) at the 16th week. The results indicated that early stimulus immediately raised the mRNA levels of genes involved in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. At the end of F0 challenge, both treatment groups decreased the plasma glucose levels, increased the expression levels of glucokinase (gck), and inhibited the mRNA during gluconeogenesis. When challenged in F1, the glucose levels were lower in FF (F1), and the mRNA levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (pck1) were decreased in FF (F1) and YE (F1). Besides, in both experimental groups (F0 and F1), the CpG island of pck1 maintained lower levels of hypermethylated expression from F0 adult, 24 h post-fertilization embryo, to F1 adult. In conclusion, these results indicated that an early high-carbohydrate stimulus could significantly reprogram glucose metabolism in adult zebrafish, that those modifications could be partially transmitted to the next generation, and that the DNA methylation of pck1 might work as a stable epigenetic marker to contribute to those processes.

Rodent models of metabolic disorders: considerations for use in studies of neonatal programming

Epidemiologically, metabolic disorders have garnered much attention, perhaps due to the predominance of obesity. The early postnatal life represents a critical period for programming multifactorial metabolic disorders of adult life. Though altricial rodents are prime subjects for investigating neonatal programming, there is still no sufficiently generalised literature on their usage and methodology. This review focuses on establishing five approach-based models of neonatal rodents adopted for studying metabolic phenotypes. Here, some modelled interventions that currently exist to avoid or prevent metabolic disorders are also highlighted. We also bring forth recommendations, guidelines and considerations to aid research on neonatal programming. It is hoped that this provides a background to researchers focused on the aetiology, mechanisms, prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.

Evidence for Quercetin as a Dietary Supplement for the Treatment of Cardio-Metabolic Diseases in Pregnancy: A Review in Rodent Models

Quercetin supplementation during pregnancy and lactation has been linked to a lower risk of maternal cardio-metabolic disorders such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), dyslipidemia, preeclampsia, attenuation of malnutrition-related conditions, and gestational obesity in animal studies. Pre-clinical studies have shown that maternal supplementation with quercetin reduces cardio-metabolic diseases in dams and rodents’ offspring, emphasizing its role in modifying phenotypic plasticity. In this sense, it could be inferred that quercetin administration during pregnancy and lactation is a viable strategy for changing cardio-metabolic parameters throughout life. Epigenetic mechanisms affecting the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3 K) pathways could be associated with these changes. To highlight these discoveries, this review outlines the understanding from animal studies investigations about quercetin supplementation and its capacity to prevent or decrease maternal and offspring cardio-metabolic illnesses and associated comorbidities.

The Advent of Nutrigenomics: A Narrative Review with an Emphasis on Psychological Disorders

A new research field is emerging that combines nutrition and genetics at the molecular level, namely nutrigenomics. Several aspects of nutrigenomics are examined in this review, with a particular focus on psychological disorders. The origin of this field in the 20th century and its modern developments have been investigated. Various studies have reported the impact of genetic factors and diet on various chronic disorders, elucidating how the deficiency of several macronutrients results in significant ailments, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and others. Furthermore, the application of nutrigenomics to diet and its impact on the global disease rate and quality of life have been discussed. The relationship between diet and gene expression can facilitate the classification of diet-gene interactions and the diagnosis of polymorphisms and anomalies. Numerous databases and research tools for the study of nutrigenomics are essential to the medical application of this field. The nutrition-gene interrelationships can be utilized to study brain development, impairment, and diseases, which could be a significant medical breakthrough. It has also been observed that psychological conditions are exacerbated by the interaction between gut microbes and the prevalence of malnutrition. This article focuses on the impact of nutrition on genes involved in various psychological disorders and the potential application of nutrigenomics as a revolutionary treatment method.

Maternal Oxidized Soybean Oil Administration in Rats during Pregnancy and Lactation Alters the Intestinal DNA Methylation in Offspring

As a food contaminant, oxidized oil or lipid oxidative products have been proven to exert toxicological effects on the growth and development of animals and humans. Research shows that maternal oxidative stress damage might transmit to another generation by epigenetic modulation. However, current evidence is still not clear on the mechanism of the effects of dietary oxidized oil during pregnancy on the two generations. This study employed a rat model fed with oxidized soybean oil (OSO) during pregnancy and lactation to explore the effects of the oxidative degree (0, 200, 400, and 800 mequiv of O₂/kg) on the placental RNA methylation and DNA methylation in offspring jejunum. The results showed that following the ingestion of OSO, the placental genes of different m⁶A methylation were significantly enriched to nutrient metabolic processes and hormone activity. In addition, the intestine in offspring hypofunctioned observably, such as reducing the height of villi and the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine. Furthermore, maternal intake of OSO during pregnancy can damage the intestinal barrier function of offspring by inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells and reducing the activity of intestinal DNA methyltransferase. In conclusion, this study reinforces the assertion that maternal OSO consumption during gestation and lactation negatively affects the placental health and intestinal development of suckling pups.

A Final Frontier in Environment-Genome Interactions? Integrated, Multi-Omic Approaches to Predictions of Non-Communicable Disease Risk

Epidemiological and associative research from humans and animals identifies correlations between the environment and health impacts. The environment—health inter-relationship is effected through an individual’s underlying genetic variation and mediated by mechanisms that include the changes to gene regulation that are associated with the diversity of phenotypes we exhibit. However, the causal relationships have yet to be established, in part because the associations are reduced to individual interactions and the combinatorial effects are rarely studied. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that our genomes are highly dynamic; they integrate information across multiple levels (from linear sequence, to structural organisation, to temporal variation) each of which is open to and responds to environmental influence. To unravel the complexities of the genomic basis of human disease, and in particular non-communicable diseases that are also influenced by the environment (e.g., obesity, type II diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, some neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis) it is imperative that we fully integrate multiple layers of genomic data. Here we review current progress in integrated genomic data analysis, and discuss cases where data integration would lead to significant advances in our ability to predict how the environment may impact on our health. We also outline limitations which should form the basis of future research questions. In so doing, this review will lay the foundations for future research into the impact of the environment on our health.

Family Income and Low Birth Weight in Term Infants: a Nationwide Study in Israel

OBJECTIVES

To explore the influence of income on Low Birth Weight (LBW), taking into account other socio-economic measurements.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study is based on the Israel National Insurance Institute (NII) database. The study population included 58,454 women who gave birth between 2008 and 2013 to 85,605 infants. Only singleton births at term (gestational age in weeks = 37 and later) were included. Logistic regression models with a Generalized Estimating Equation approach were used in order to assess the independent effect of income and Socio-Economic Regional Index (SERI), maternal age, family status, population group and occupational status on LBW. In addition, sibling analysis was conducted to assess the influence of a change in income on birth weight (BW) among 21,998 women.

RESULTS

Lower income was associated with higher odds of LBW (odds ratio (OR) = 1.266; 95% CI:1.115-1.437. Immigrants from Ethiopia, Bedouins from the Negev, the youngest, the oldest, and single mothers had higher odds for LBW newborns. Compared to women whose income quartile had not changed between the most recent and the first births, for women who experienced a deterioration of three and two quartiles in family income, significantly lower birth weight was observed at the time point with lower income: 103 g (p = .049) and 71 g (p = .008), respectively. Improvement in income revealed an almost linear increase in birth weight.

CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE

In an effort to prevent LBW associated mortality and diseases, interventions should be focused first of all on women from population groups who are disadvantaged.

Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk Markers in Children of Women who Took Part in a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Pre-conceptional Nutritional Intervention in Mumbai, India

Background

Maternal nutrition influences fetal development and may permanently alter (“program”) offspring body composition and metabolism, thereby influencing later risk of diabetes and cardiovascular (cardiometabolic) disease. The prevalence of cardiometabolic disease is rising rapidly in India.

Objectives

To test the hypothesis that supplementing low-income Indian women with micronutrient-rich foods preconceptionally and during pregnancy has a beneficial impact on the children's body composition and cardiometabolic risk marker profiles.

Methods

Follow-up of 1255 children aged 5–10 y whose mothers took part in the Mumbai Maternal Nutrition Project [Project “SARAS”; International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN)62811278]. Mothers were randomly assigned to receive a daily micronutrient-rich snack or a control snack of lower micronutrient content, both made from local foods, in addition to normal diet, from before pregnancy until delivery. Children's body composition was assessed using anthropometry and DXA. Their blood pressure, plasma glucose, insulin, and lipid concentrations were measured. Outcomes were compared between allocation groups with and without adjustment for confounding factors.

Results

Overall, 15% of children were stunted, 34% were wasted, and 3% were overweight. In the intention-to-treat analysis, there were no differences in body composition or risk markers between children in the intervention and control groups. Among children whose mothers started supplementation ≥3 mo before conception (the “per protocol” sample) the intervention increased adiposity among girls, but not boys. BMI in girls was increased relative to controls by 2% (95% CI: 1, 4; P = 0.01); fat mass index by 10% (95% CI: 3, 18; P = 0.004); and percent fat by 7% (95% CI: 1, 13; P = 0.01) unadjusted, with similar results in adjusted models.

Conclusions

Overall, supplementing women with micronutrient-rich foods from before pregnancy until delivery did not alter body composition or cardiometabolic risk markers in the children. Subgroup analyses showed that, if started ≥3 mo before conception, supplementation may increase adiposity among female children.

Differential DNA methylation by early versus late parenteral nutrition in the PICU: a biological basis for its impact on emotional and behavioral problems documented 4 years later

Background

The PEPaNIC multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) has shown that early administration of supplemental parenteral nutrition (early-PN) as compared with withholding PN for 1 week (late-PN) induced long-term internalizing, externalizing and total emotional/behavioral problems in critically ill children, as observed 4 years later. Early-PN was further shown to alter the methylation status of 37 CpG-sites in leukocyte DNA between admission and discharge from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). In a preplanned subanalysis of the PEPaNIC trial, we now investigated whether the altered methylation of these CpG-sites could statistically explain the negative impact of early-PN on emotion/behavior documented 4 years after PICU admission.

Results

The combination of DNA methylation data and data on behavior 4 years after PICU admission was available for 403 of the 1440 patients (aged 0–17 years at PICU admission) who were included in the PEPaNIC RCT (192 early-PN and 211 late-PN patients). Mediation analyses with use of bootstrapped multivariable non-linear regression analyses adjusted for baseline risk factors revealed that the adverse alterations by early-PN in methylation of the 37 CpG-sites together statistically explained its harmful impact on internalizing, externalizing and total emotional/behavioral problems. When adding the methylation status of the 37 CpG-sites to the models, the explanatory power improved with a 1.710 to 1.851-fold increase, and the impact of the altered methylation status of the CpG-sites explained the impact of the randomization to early-PN versus late-PN.

Conclusions

Abnormal DNA methylation induced by the early use of PN in the PICU provides a biological basis for its long-term harmful effect on emotion/behavior of critically ill children 4 years after PICU admission.

Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01536275, registered February 17, 2012, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01536275.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13148-021-01124-3.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of physicians regarding periconceptional folic acid for women at low risk of a neural tube defect affected pregnancy

Canadian expert guidelines recommend low-risk women to consume a daily multivitamin supplement containing 400 µg of folic acid (FA) to prevent neural tube defects. Mandatory food fortification coupled with intake of prenatal vitamin/mineral supplements (PVS), most of which contain ≥ 1000 µg-FA, has resulted in an unprecedented shift in Canadian pregnant women folate status. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of physicians regarding periconceptional FA recommendations, intake and health related outcomes, since they play an essential role in promoting appropriate FA intake. Seventy-seven physicians answered the self-administered KAP survey. Only half of physicians knew the correct dose and duration of FA for low-risk women. Approximately 70% were unsure of, or unfamiliar with the most recent guidelines and 60% of physicians most often recommend a ≥ 1000 µg-FA supplement. Knowledge score 1 (KS1), which related to low-risk women, was associated with physicians' attitude toward believing that most PVS contain the recommended amount of FA (p = 0.004). Significant correlations were also found between KS1 and the total practice score (TPS) (r = 0.45, p < 0.0001) as well as between the total knowledge score and TPS (r = 0.38, p = 0.0007). Our findings show that physicians lacking knowledge regarding periconceptional FA is associated with their attitude and practice. Despite a vast majority of physicians being unsure or uncomfortable recommending PVS that are not in line with recommendations, a lack of knowledge and a widely accessible 400 µg-FA PVS, enables a contradictory practice in reality.

The use of live food as a vehicle of soybean meal for nutritional programming of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides

Nutritional Programming (NP) has been studied as a means of improving dietary plant protein (PP) utilization in different fish species. This study investigated the use of enriched live feed as a vehicle for NP in larval fish. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of NP induced during the larval stage via PP-enriched live feed on: (1) growth performance; (2) expression of genes associated with inflammation and any morphological changes in the intestine; and (3) muscle free amino acid composition in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) during its later life stages. Two diets were used in this study, a fish meal (FM)-based diet, and a soybean mean (SBM)-based diet, serving as the PP diet. There were 4 groups in this study. The two control groups, ( +) Control and (-) Control, were not programmed and received the FM-diet and SBM-diet, respectively throughout the whole trial after the live feed stage (27-122 days post hatch (dph). The next group, programmed, was programmed with SBM-enriched Artemia nauplii during the live feed stage (4-26 dph) and challenged with the SBM-diet during the final stage of the study (79-122 dph). The final group, non-programmed, did not receive any programming and, was challenged with the SBM-diet during the final stage of the study. The programmed group experienced a significantly higher (%) weight gain during the PP-Challenge than the non-programmed group. In addition, the live feed programming resulted in significantly longer distal villi, and a higher villi length to width ratio, compared to the non-programmed group. No significant effects on free amino acid composition and gene expression were observed between the programmed and non-programmed group, except for an increased post-prandial concentration of free proline in the programmed group. The results of this study support use of live feed as a vehicle for nutritional programming and improving the growth performance of largemouth bass fed with a SBM-based diet.

Environmental mismatch and obesity in humans: The Jerusalem Perinatal Family Follow-Up Study

BACKGROUND

According to the hypothesis of Gluckman and Hanson, mismatch between the developmental and postdevelopmental environments may lead to detrimental health impacts such as obesity. While several animal studies support the mismatch theory, there is a scarcity of evidence from human-based studies.

OBJECTIVES

Our study aims to examine whether a mismatch between the developmental and young-adult environments affect obesity in young adults of the Jerusalem Perinatal Family Follow-Up Study.

METHODS

Data from The Jerusalem Perinatal Family Follow-Up Study birth cohort was used to characterize early and late environments using offspring and parental sociodemographic and lifestyle information at birth, age 32 (n = 1140) and 42 (n = 404). Scores characterizing the early and late environments were constructed using factor analysis. To assess associations of mismatch with obesity, regression models were fitted using the first factor of each environment and adiposity measures at age 32 and 42.

RESULTS

Having a stable non-beneficial environment at birth and young-adulthood was most strongly associated with increased adiposity, while a stable beneficial environment was most favorable. The transition from a beneficial environment at birth to a less beneficial environment at young-adulthood was associated with higher obesity measures, including higher BMI (β = 0.979; 95% CI: 0.029, 1.929), waist circumference (β = 2.729; 95% CI: 0.317, 5.140) and waist-hip ratio (β = 0.017; 95% CI: 0.004, 0.029) compared with those experiencing a beneficial environment at both time points. Transition from a less beneficial environment at birth to a beneficial environment at adulthood was also associated with higher obesity measurements (BMI -β = 1.116; 95% CI: 0.085, 2.148; waist circumference -β = 2.736; 95% CI: 0.215, 5.256).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides some support for the mismatch hypothesis. While there is indication that an accumulation of the effects of the non-beneficial environment has the strongest detrimental impact on obesity outcomes, our results also indicate that a mismatch between the developmental and later environments may result in maladaptation of the individual leading to obesity.

Intergenerational health impact of adverse environment in utero under civil conflict: evidence from Cambodia

Purpose

This study aims to empirically examine how the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979) in Cambodia continues to affect the health of the second generation.

Design/methodology/approach

The 2000 and 2005 Cambodia Demographic and Health Surveys were used in the analysis. The study sample were women with a child/children in 2000/2005. The sample population was identified according to whether the person was in utero “91 months or earlier before the Khmer Rouge regime,” “46–90 months before the Khmer Rouge regime” and “1–45 months before the Khmer Rouge regime” and during the Khmer Rouge regime. The authors then regressed the size of babies of the targeted population on the timing of the mothers being in utero.

Findings

Mothers who were in utero during the regime had a higher likelihood of giving birth to smaller-than-average babies. Additionally, mothers born in the areas that had a higher probability of death of children aged five or under during the regime were at risk of giving birth to smaller-than-average babies if they were in utero during that time.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to assess the impact of the Khmer Rouge regime on the health of the second generation.

Identification of methylation changes associated with positive and negative growth deviance in Gambian infants using a targeted methyl sequencing approach of genomic DNA

Low birthweight and reduced height gain during infancy (stunting) may arise at least in part from adverse early life environments that trigger epigenetic reprogramming that may favor survival. We examined differential DNA methylation patterns using targeted methyl sequencing of regions regulating gene activity in groups of rural Gambian infants: (a) low and high birthweight (DNA from cord blood (n = 16 and n = 20, respectively), from placental trophoblast tissue (n = 21 and n = 20, respectively), and DNA from peripheral blood collected from infants at 12 months of age (n = 23 and n = 17, respectively)), and, (b) the top 10% showing rapid postnatal length gain (high, n = 20) and the bottom 10% showing slow postnatal length gain (low, n = 20) based on z score change between birth and 12 months of age (LAZ) (DNA from peripheral blood collected from infants at 12 months of age). Using BiSeq analysis to identify significant methylation marks, for birthweight, four differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified in trophoblast DNA, compared to 68 DMRs in cord blood DNA, and 54 DMRs in 12‐month peripheral blood DNA. Twenty‐five DMRs were observed to be associated with high and low length for age (LAZ) at 12 months. With the exception of five loci (associated with two different genes), there was no overlap between these groups of methylation marks. Of the 194 CpG methylation marks contained within DMRs, 106 were located to defined gene regulatory elements (promoters, CTCF‐binding sites, transcription factor‐binding sites, and enhancers), 58 to gene bodies (introns or exons), and 30 to intergenic DNA. Distinct methylation patterns associated with birthweight between comparison groups were observed in DNA collected at birth (at the end of intrauterine growth window) compared to those established by 12 months (near the infancy/childhood growth transition). The longitudinal differences in methylation patterns may arise from methylation adjustments, changes in cellular composition of blood or both that continue during the critical postnatal growth period, and in response to early nutritional and infectious environmental exposures with impacts on growth and longer‐term health outcomes.

Exposure to p40 in Early Life Prevents Intestinal Inflammation in Adulthood Through Inducing a Long-Lasting Epigenetic Imprint on TGFβ

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Colonization by gut microbiota in early life confers beneficial effects on immunity throughout the host's lifespan. We sought to elucidate the mechanisms whereby neonatal supplementation with p40, a probiotic functional factor, reprograms intestinal epithelial cells for protection against adult-onset intestinal inflammation.

METHODS

p40 was used to treat young adult mouse colonic (YAMC) epithelial cells with and without deletion of a methyltransferase, su(var)3-9, enhancer-of-zeste and trithorax domain-containing 1β (Setd1β), and mice in early life or in adulthood. Anti-transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)-neutralizing antibodies were administered to adult mice with and without colitis induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid or dextran sulfate sodium. We examined Setd1b and Tgfb gene expression, TGFβ production, monomethylation and trimethylation of histone H3 on the lysine 4 residue (H3K4me1/3), H3K4me3 enrichment in Tgfb promoter, differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs), and the inflammatory status.

RESULTS

p40 up-regulated expression of Setd1b in YAMC cells. Accordingly, p40 enhanced H3K4me1/3 in YAMC cells in a Setd1β-dependent manner. p40-regulated Setd1β mediated programming the TGFβ locus into a transcriptionally permissive chromatin state and promoting TGFβ production in YAMC. Furthermore, transient exposure to p40 during the neonatal period and in adulthood resulted in the immediate increase in Tgfb gene expression. However, only neonatal p40 supplementation induced the sustained H3K4me1/3 and Tgfb gene expression that persisted into adulthood. Interfering with TGFβ function by neutralizing antibodies diminished the long-lasting effects of neonatal p40 supplementation on differentiation of Tregs and protection against colitis in adult mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to p40 in early life enables an epigenetic imprint on TGFβ, leading to long-lasting production of TGFβ by intestinal epithelial cells to expand Tregs and protect the gut against inflammation.

Impact of Early Nutrition, Physical Activity and Sleep on the Fetal Programming of Disease in the Pregnancy: A Narrative Review

Early programming is the adaptation process by which nutrition and environmental factors alter development pathways during prenatal growth, inducing changes in postnatal metabolism and diseases. The aim of this narrative review, is evaluating the current knowledge in the scientific literature on the effects of nutrition, environmental factors, physical activity and sleep on development pathways. If in utero adaptations were incorrect, this would cause a mismatch between prenatal programming and adulthood. Adequate caloric intake, protein, mineral, vitamin, and long-chain fatty acids, have been noted for their relevance in the offspring brain functions and behavior. Fetus undernutrition/malnutrition causes a delay in growth and have detrimental effects on the development and subsequent functioning of the organs. Pregnancy is a particularly vulnerable period for the development of food preferences and for modifications in the emotional response. Maternal obesity increases the risk of developing perinatal complications and delivery by cesarean section and has long-term implications in the development of metabolic diseases. Physical exercise during pregnancy contributes to overall improved health post-partum. It is also interesting to highlight the relevance of sleep problems during pregnancy, which influence adequate growth and fetal development. Taking into account these considerations, we conclude that nutrition and metabolic factors during early life play a key role of health promotion and public health nutrition programs worldwide to improve the health of the offspring and the health costs of hospitalization.

Effects of maternal and fetal choline concentrations on the fetal growth and placental DNA methylation of 12 target genes related to fetal growth, adipogenesis, and energy metabolism

AIM

We performed a birth cohort study involving 124 mother-infant pairs to investigate whether placental DNA methylation is associated with maternal choline status and fetal development.

METHODS

Plasma choline concentration was assayed longitudinally in the 1st and 3rd trimesters and at term-pregnancy in mothers and cord blood. Placental DNA methylation was measured for 12 target candidate genes that are related to fetal growth, adipogenesis, lipid and energy metabolism, or long interspersed nuclear elements.

RESULTS

Higher maternal plasma and cord blood choline levels at term tended to associate with lower birthweight (r = -0.246, P < 0.013; r = -0.290, P < 0.002) and body mass index (BMI) at birth (r = 0.344, P < 1E-3; r = -0.360, P < 1E-3). The correlation between maternal plasma choline level and cord blood choline level was relatively modest (r = 0.049, P = 0.639). There was an inverse correlation between placental DNA methylation at the retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRA) gene and maternal plasma choline level (r = -0.188 to r = -0.452, P = 0.043 to P < 1E-3 at three points). RXRA methylation level was positively associated with birthweight and BMI at birth (r = 0.306, P = 0.001; r = 0.390, P < 1E-3). Further, RXRA methylation was inversely correlated with RXRA gene expression level (r = 0.333, P < 1E-3).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the association between maternal choline status and placental RXRA methylation represents a potential fetal programing mechanism contributing to fetal growth.

Maternal sucralose intake alters gut microbiota of offspring and exacerbates hepatic steatosis in adulthood

BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered to be associated with diet and gut dysbiosis. Excessive sucralose can induce gut dysbiosis and negatively affect host health. Maternal diet shapes the microbial communities of neonate and this effect continues in later life. We aimed to investigate the effects of maternal sucralose (MS) intake on the susceptibility of offspring to hepatic steatosis in adulthood.

METHODS

C57BL/6 pregnant mice were randomized into MS group (MS during gestation and lactation) and maternal control (MC) group (MC diet). After weaning, all offspring were fed a control diet until 8 weeks of age, and then treated with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks. The intestinal development, mucosal barrier function, and gut microbiota were assessed in the 3-week-old offspring. Moreover, the severity of hepatic steatosis, serum biochemistry, lipid metabolism, and gut microbiota was then assessed in the 12th week.

RESULTS

MS significantly inhibited intestinal development and disrupted barrier function in 3-week-old offspring. MS also induced intestinal low-grade inflammation, significantly changed the compositions and diversity of gut microbiota including reducing butyrate-producing bacteria and cecal butyrate production with down-regulation of GPR43. Mechanically, blocking GPR43 blunted the anti-inflammatory effect of one of the butyrate-producing bacteria, Clostridium butyricum in vitro. After HFD treatment, MS exacerbated hepatic steatosis, and disturbed fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism, accompanied by inducing gut dysbiosis compared with MC group.

CONCLUSIONS

MS intake inhibits intestinal development, induces gut dysbiosis in offspring through down-regulation of GPR43, and exacerbates HFD-induced hepatic steatosis in adulthood.

Periconceptional environment predicts leukocyte telomere length in a cross-sectional study of 7-9 year old rural Gambian children

Early life exposures are important predictors of adult disease risk. Although the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, telomere maintenance may be involved. This study investigated the relationship between seasonal differences in parental exposures at time of conception and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in their offspring. LTL was measured in two cohorts of children aged 2 yrs (N = 487) and 7–9 yrs (N = 218). The association between date of conception and LTL was examined using Fourier regression models, adjusted for age, sex, leukocyte cell composition, and other potential confounders. We observed an effect of season in the older children in all models [likelihood ratio test (LRT) χ²₂ = 7.1, p = 0.03; fully adjusted model]. LTL was greatest in children conceived in September (in the rainy season), and smallest in those conceived in March (in the dry season), with an effect size (LTL peak–nadir) of 0.60 z-scores. No effect of season was evident in the younger children (LRT χ²₂ = 0.87, p = 0.65). The different results obtained for the two cohorts may reflect a delayed effect of season of conception on postnatal telomere maintenance. Alternatively, they may be explained by unmeasured differences in early life exposures, or the increased telomere attrition rate during infancy.

Effects of in ovo feeding of vitamin C on post-hatch performance, immune status and DNA methylation-related gene expression in broiler chickens

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of in ovo feeding (IOF) of vitamin C at embryonic age 11 (E11) on post-hatch performance, immune status and DNA methylation-related gene expression in broiler chickens. A total of 240 Arbor Acres breeder eggs (63 (sem 0·5) g) were randomly divided into two groups: normal saline and vitamin C (VC) groups. After incubation, newly hatched chicks from each group were randomly divided into six replicates with ten chicks per replicate. Hatchability, average daily feed intake (D21–42 and D1–42), and average daily gain and feed conversion ratio (D1–21) were improved by vitamin C treatment (P < 0·05). IOF of vitamin C increased vitamin C content (D1), total antioxidant capacity (D42), IgA (D1), IgM (D1 and D21), stimulation index for T lymphocyte (D35) and lysozyme activity (D21) in plasma (P < 0·05). On D21, vitamin C increased the splenic expression of IL-4 and DNMT1 and decreased IL-1β, Tet2, Tet3 and Gadd45β expression (P < 0·05). On D42, vitamin C increased the splenic expression of IL-4 and DNMT3A and decreased IFN-γ, Tet3, MBD4 and TDG expression (P < 0·05). In conclusion, the vitamin C via in ovo injection can be absorbed by broiler’s embryo and IOF of vitamin C at E11 improves the post-hatch performance and immune status and, to some extent, the antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens. The expression of enzyme-related DNA methylation and demethylation indicates that the level of DNA methylation may increase in spleen in the VC group and whether the fluctuating expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is related to DNA methylation change remained to be further investigated.

Associations of maternal diet and placenta leptin methylation

BACKGROUND

Maternal diet is an important factor in prenatal development that also has implications for disease risk later in life. The adipokine leptin is a key regulator of energy homeostasis and may be involved in the association between maternal nutrition, maternal obesity, and infant outcomes. DNA methylation of placenta genes may occur in response to exposures and may program subsequent infant development. This study examined maternal diet, placenta leptin gene DNA methylation, and neonatal growth in a sample of healthy neonates and their mothers.

METHODS

Mothers and their healthy neonates (N = 135) were recruited within 1-2 days following delivery at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, RI. A structured interview was conducted to assess maternal dietary intake. Maternal pre-pregnancy weight, weight gain during pregnancy, maternal health, medications, and vitamin use were obtained from medical records. Bisulfite pyrosequencing was used to measure methylation of CpG sites in the promoter region of the placenta leptin gene and determine genotype of the leptin single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2167270, which is known to influence leptin methylation. Bivariate analyses and linear regression models were used to evaluate associations of demographics, diet, and mean leptin methylation.

RESULTS

Genotype was a significant predictor of placenta leptin DNA methylation (p < .01), and after controlling for this and other relevant maternal and infant covariates, lower levels of leptin methylation were significantly associated with greater intake of carbohydrates (p < .05), in particular added sugars (p < .05) and white/refined carbohydrates (p < .05). Total caloric intake was also associated with placenta leptin methylation (p < .05), however after controlling for relevant covariates, significance diminished to trend-level. There were no significant associations of placenta leptin methylation and intake of protein (p > .05) or fat (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

These findings underline the importance of intake of carbohydrate consumption for methylation of the placenta leptin gene. Because methylation reduces gene transcription, lower methylation may indicate a placenta response to high caloric intake and carbohydrate food that would result in higher levels of this hormone during fetal development. Further investigation of the developmental ramifications of epigenetic changes to placenta leptin methylation should be pursued.

Modulation of dysregulated cancer metabolism by plant secondary metabolites: A mechanistic review

Several signaling pathways and basic metabolites are responsible for the control of metabolism in both normal and cancer cells. As emerging hallmarks of cancer metabolism, the abnormal activities of these pathways are of the most noticeable events in cancer. This altered metabolism expedites the survival and proliferation of cancer cells, which have attracted a substantial amount of interest in cancer metabolism. Nowadays, targeting metabolism and cross-linked signaling pathways in cancer has been a hot topic to investigate novel drugs against cancer. Despite the efficiency of conventional drugs in cancer therapy, their associated toxicity, resistance, and high-cost cause limitations in their application. Besides, considering the numerous signaling pathways cross-linked with cancer metabolism, discovery, and development of multi-targeted and safe natural compounds has been a high priority. Natural secondary metabolites have exhibited promising anticancer effects by targeting dysregulated signaling pathways linked to cancer metabolism. The present review reveals the metabolism and cross-linked dysregulated signaling pathways in cancer. The promising therapeutic targets in cancer, as well as the critical role of natural secondary metabolites for significant anticancer enhancements, have also been highlighted to find novel/potential therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.

Maternal vs paternal diabetes: The parental history is different in younger onset versus older onset type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

A number of previous studies exploring family history of type 2 diabetes have reported a predominance of maternal diabetes. These studies have not explicitly compared parental history of diabetes across the spectrum of disease onset from youth to later adulthood.

METHODS

Family history data from 11,467 patients with type 2 diabetes were extracted from the RPA Diabetes Centre database. Parental histories of diabetes were compared across a range of age of diagnosis strata (15-<30, 30-<40, 40-<50, 50-<60 and 60-<70 years). For the young-onset group (diagnosed between 15 and 30 years of age), associations between parental history of diabetes and the presence of cardio-metabolic risk factors and diabetic complications were also explored.

RESULTS

For the total cohort and within each age of diagnosis strata, more individuals reported maternal history than paternal history of diabetes. The young-onset group demonstrated the highest prevalence of any parental history of diabetes (60.7%), the highest combined maternal and paternal history (15.8%) and the smallest differential between maternal (25.1%) and paternal (19.7%) history of diabetes. Within the young-onset group, no significant association between parental history and cardio-metabolic risk factors or diabetic complications were identified after a median of 15.0 years of diabetes exposure.

CONCLUSION

Overall, our results demonstrate a consistent maternal excess of diabetes which could be consistent with an underlying epigenetic effect. However, the differential between maternal and paternal history is significantly lower in the young-onset group. Earlier emergence of type 2 diabetes may therefore reflect a different interaction and impact of genetic and environmental factors.

The relationship between early pregnancy dietary intakes and subsequent birthweight and neonatal adiposity

Background

Maternal nutrition intakes may influence neonatal birthweight and adiposity; however, inconsistencies within the literature exist. The relationships between maternal dietary intakes in early pregnancy and both birthweight and neonatal adiposity requires elucidation. This study examined the relationship between early pregnancy dietary intakes and subsequent birthweight and neonatal adiposity.

Methods

Women were recruited at their convenience after sonographic confirmation of a singleton pregnancy. Women completed a Willet food frequency questionnaire evaluating habitual food and nutrient intakes at their first antenatal visit. Neonatal body composition was measured using air-displacement plethysmography.

Results

Of the 385 mother-neonate dyads, mean maternal age was 30.8 ± 5.3 years, mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 24.5 ± 4.8 kg/m2 and 41.8% (n = 161) were nulliparous. There were no relationships between maternal food intakes and birthweight (P > 0.05) (n = 385). On multivariable analysis there was a positive relationship between polyunsaturated fat and neonatal fat mass index (FMI) (beta = 0.015, 95% CI = 0.002-0.028, P = 0.04) (n = 80).

Conclusion

Dietary intakes of polyunsaturated fat in early pregnancy are positively associated with neonatal FMI at birth on multivariable analysis. Further longitudinal studies need to explore this association and the long-term implications for the neonate.

Early feeding of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with methionine-deficient diet over a 2 week period: consequences for liver mitochondria in juveniles

Methionine is a key factor in modulating the cellular availability of the main biological methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which is required for all biological methylation reactions including DNA and histone methylation. As such, it represents a potential critical factor in nutritional programming. Here, we investigated whether early methionine restriction at first feeding could have long-term programmed metabolic consequences in rainbow trout. For this purpose, trout fry were fed with either a control diet (C) or a methionine-deficient diet (MD) for 2 weeks from the first exogenous feeding. Next, fish were subjected to a 5 month growth trial with a standard diet followed by a 2 week challenge (with the MD or C diet) to test the programming effect of the early methionine restriction. The results showed that, whatever the dietary treatment of fry, the 2 week challenge with the MD diet led to a general mitochondrial defect associated with an increase in endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitophagy and apoptosis, highlighting the existence of complex cross-talk between these different functions. Moreover, for the first time, we also observed that fish fed the MD diet at the first meal later exhibited an increase in several critical factors of mitophagy, hinting that the early nutritional stimulus with methionine deficiency resulted in long-term programming of this cell function. Together, these data extend our understanding of the role of dietary methionine and emphasize the potential for this amino acid in the application of new feeding strategies, such as nutritional programming, to optimize the nutrition and health of farmed fish.

Mediterranean diet and health status: Active ingredients and pharmacological mechanisms

The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is one of the most widely described and evaluated dietary patterns in scientific literature. It is characterized by high intakes of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, grains, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, and a moderate intake of red wine. A large body of observational and experimental evidence suggests that higher adherence to the MedDiet is associated with lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, and cancer. Current mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of the MedDiet include reduction of blood lipids, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, improvement of insulin sensitivity, enhancement of endothelial function, and antithrombotic function. Most likely, these effects are attributable to bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, or fibre. This review will focus on both established and less established mechanisms of action of biochemical compounds contained in a MedDiet. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on The Pharmacology of Nutraceuticals. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.6/issuetoc.

Enhanced hepatic cholesterol accumulation induced by maternal betaine exposure is associated with hypermethylation of CYP7A1 gene promoter

PURPOSE

Betaine contains three methyl groups and plays a critical role in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism via epigenetic modifications. However, it is unclear whether prenatal betaine intake could affect cholesterol metabolism of progeny through DNA methylation.

METHODS

Hence, pregnant rats were randomly divided into control and betaine groups fed standard diet or 1% betaine supplementation diet, respectively, throughout gestation and lactation.

RESULTS

Maternal betaine exposure significantly (P < 0.05) increased serum and hepatic cholesterol contents but not triglyceride levels in offspring rats. Accordantly, maternal intake of betaine markedly downregulated (P < 0.05) hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) expression at both the mRNA and protein level, while the protein content of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) was upregulated in the liver of betaine-exposed rats. In addition, prenatal betaine supplementation extremely increased (P < 0.05) hepatic betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) expression at the mRNA and protein level but not affected the expression of other key enzymes involved in methionine metabolism. Furthermore, hepatic hypermethylation of CYP7A1 gene promoter was observed in progeny rats derived from betaine-supplemented dams.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide evidence that maternal betaine supplementation significantly enhances hepatic cholesterol contents accompanied with alterations of cholesterol metabolic genes and hypermethylation in offspring rats at weaning.

Effects of Dietary Nutrients on Epigenetic Changes in Cancer

Gene-nutrient interactions are important contributors to health management and disease prevention. Nutrition can alter gene expression, as well as the susceptibility to disease, including cancer, through epigenetic changes. Nutrients can influence the epigenetic status through several mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miRNA-dependent gene silencing. These alterations were associated with either increased or decreased risk for cancer development. There is convincing evidence indicating that several foods have protective roles in cancer prevention, by inhibiting tumor progression directly or through modifying tumor's microenvironment that leads to hostile conditions favorable to tumor initiation or growth. While nutritional intakes from foods cannot be adequately controlled for dosage, the role of nutrients in the epigenetics of cancer has led to more research aimed at developing nutriceuticals and drugs as cancer therapies. Clinical studies are needed to evaluate the optimum doses of dietary compounds, the safety profile of dosages, to establish the most efficient way of administration, and bioavailability, in order to maximize the beneficial effects already discovered, and to ensure replicability. Thus, nutrition represents a promising tool to be used not only in cancer prevention, but hopefully also in cancer treatment.

Metabolic programming in early life in humans

An association of low birth weight with an increased risk of adult cardiovascular disease and diabetes led to the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, which proposes that undernutrition during early development permanently 'programmes' organ structure and metabolism, leading to vulnerability to later cardio-metabolic disease. High birth weight caused by maternal gestational diabetes is also associated with later diabetes, suggesting that fetal over-nutrition also has programming effects. Post-natal factors (excess weight gain/obesity, smoking, poor diets and physical inactivity) interact with fetal exposures to increase disease risk. Animal studies have shown permanent metabolic effects in offspring after alterations to maternal or early post-natal diets but evidence in humans is largely limited to observational and quasi-experimental situations such as maternal famine exposure. Randomized trials of maternal nutritional interventions during pregnancy have so far had limited follow-up of the offspring. Moreover, interventions usually started after the first trimester and therefore missed key peri-conceptional or early pregnancy events such as epigenetic changes, placentation and fetal organogenesis. Recent and ongoing trials intervening pre-conceptionally and powered for long-term offspring follow-up will address these issues. While current preventive strategies for cardio-metabolic disease focus on high-risk individuals in mid-life, DOHaD concepts offer a 'primordial' preventive strategy to reduce disease in future generations by improving fetal and infant development. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine'.

Methyl Donor Micronutrients that Modify DNA Methylation and Cancer Outcome

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that is essential for regulating gene transcription. However, aberrant DNA methylation, which is a nearly universal finding in cancer, can result in disturbed gene expression. DNA methylation is modified by environmental factors such as diet that may modify cancer risk and tumor behavior. Abnormal DNA methylation has been observed in several cancers such as colon, stomach, cervical, prostate, and breast cancers. These alterations in DNA methylation may play a critical role in cancer development and progression. Dietary nutrient intake and bioactive food components are essential environmental factors that may influence DNA methylation either by directly inhibiting enzymes that catalyze DNA methylation or by changing the availability of substrates required for those enzymatic reactions such as the availability and utilization of methyl groups. In this review, we focused on nutrients that act as methyl donors or methylation co-factors and presented intriguing evidence for the role of these bioactive food components in altering DNA methylation patterns in cancer. Such a role is likely to have a mechanistic impact on the process of carcinogenesis and offer possible therapeutic potentials.

New Insights on Intermediary Metabolism for a Better Understanding of Nutrition in Teleosts

The rapid development of aquaculture production throughout the world over the past few decades has led to the emergence of new scientific challenges to improve fish nutrition. The diet formulations used for farmed fish have been largely modified in the past few years. However, bottlenecks still exist in being able to suppress totally marine resources (fish meal and fish oil) in diets without negatively affecting growth performance and flesh quality. A better understanding of fish metabolism and its regulation by nutrients is thus mandatory. In this review, we discuss four fields of research that are highly important for improving fish nutrition in the future: ( a) fish genome complexity and subsequent consequences for metabolism, ( b) microRNAs (miRNAs) as new actors in regulation of fish metabolism, ( c) the role of autophagy in regulation of fish metabolism, and ( d) the nutritional programming of metabolism linked to the early life of fish.

Social Environment and Epigenetics

Our social environment, from the microscopic to the macro-social, affects us for the entirety of our lives. One integral line of research to examine how interpersonal and societal environments can get "under the skin" is through the lens of epigenetics. Epigenetic mechanisms are adaptations made to our genome in response to our environment which include tags placed on and removed from the DNA itself to how our DNA is packaged, affecting how our genes are read, transcribed, and interact. These tags are affected by social environments and can persist over time; this may aid us in responding to experiences and exposures, both the enriched and the disadvantageous. From memory formation to immune function, the experience-dependent plasticity of epigenetic modifications to micro- and macro-social environments may contribute to the process of learning from comfort, pain, and stress to better survive in whatever circumstances life has in store.

Candidate genes linking maternal nutrient exposure to offspring health via DNA methylation: a review of existing evidence in humans with specific focus on one-carbon metabolism

Background

Mounting evidence suggests that nutritional exposures during pregnancy influence the fetal epigenome, and that these epigenetic changes can persist postnatally, with implications for disease risk across the life course.

Methods

We review human intergenerational studies using a three-part search strategy. Search 1 investigates associations between preconceptional or pregnancy nutritional exposures, focusing on one-carbon metabolism, and offspring DNA methylation. Search 2 considers associations between offspring DNA methylation at genes found in the first search and growth-related, cardiometabolic and cognitive outcomes. Search 3 isolates those studies explicitly linking maternal nutritional exposure to offspring phenotype via DNA methylation. Finally, we compile all candidate genes and regions of interest identified in the searches and describe their genomic locations, annotations and coverage on the Illumina Infinium Methylation beadchip arrays.

Results

We summarize findings from the 34 studies found in the first search, the 31 studies found in the second search and the eight studies found in the third search. We provide details of all regions of interest within 45 genes captured by this review.

Conclusions

Many studies have investigated imprinted genes as priority loci, but with the adoption of microarray-based platforms other candidate genes and gene classes are now emerging. Despite a wealth of information, the current literature is characterized by heterogeneous exposures and outcomes, and mostly comprise observational associations that are frequently underpowered. The synthesis of current knowledge provided by this review identifies research needs on the pathway to developing possible early life interventions to optimize lifelong health.

Maternal High Fat Diet Alters Gut Microbiota of Offspring and Exacerbates DSS-Induced Colitis in Adulthood

Background: Accumulating evidence shows that high fat diet is closely associated with inflammatory bowel disease. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of maternal high fat diet (MHFD) on the susceptibility of offspring to colitis in adulthood lacks confirmation.

Methods: C57BL/6 pregnant mice were given either a high fat (60 E% fat, MHFD group) or control diet [10 E% fat, maternal control diet (MCD) group] during gestation and lactation. The intestinal development, mucosal barrier function, microbiota, and mucosal inflammation of 3-week old offspring were assessed. After weaning all mice were fed a control diet until 8 weeks of age when the microbiota was analyzed. Offspring were also treated with 2% DSS solution for 5 days and the severity of colitis was assessed.

Results: The offspring in MHFD group were significantly heavier than those in MCD group only at 2–4 weeks of age, while no differences were found in the body weight between two groups at other measured time points. Compared with MCD group, MHFD significantly inhibited intestinal development and disrupted barrier function in 3-week old offspring. Although H&E staining showed no obvious microscopic inflammation in both groups of 3-week old offspring, increased production of inflammatory cytokines indicated low-grade inflammation was induced in MHFD group. Moreover, fecal analysis of the 3-week old offspring indicated that the microbiota compositions and diversity were significantly changed in MHFD group. Interestingly after 5 weeks consumption of control diet in both groups, the microbiota composition of offspring in MHFD group was still different from that in MCD group, although the bacterial diversity was partly recovered at 8 weeks of age. Finally, after DSS treatment in 8-week old offspring, MHFD significantly exacerbated the severity of colitis and increased the production of proinflammatory cytokine.

Conclusions: Our data reveal that MHFD in early life can inhibit intestinal development, induce dysbiosis and low-grade inflammation and lead to the disruption of intestinal mucosal barrier in offspring, and enhance DSS-induced colitis in adulthood.

Maternal One-Carbon Metabolism and Infant DNA Methylation between Contrasting Seasonal Environments: A Case Study from The Gambia

Background

The periconceptional period is a time in which environmentally induced changes to the epigenome could have significant consequences for offspring health. Metastable epialleles (MEs) are genomic loci demonstrating interindividual variation in DNA methylation with intraindividual crosstissue correlation, suggesting that methylation states are established in the very early embryo before gastrulation. In our previous Gambian studies, we have shown that ME methylation states in the offspring are predicted by maternal concentrations of certain nutritional biomarkers around the time of conception.

Objective

We aimed to assess whether the profile of maternal biomarker predictors of offspring methylation differs between rainy and dry seasons in a population of rural Gambians, using a larger set of 50 recently identified MEs.

Methods

We measured 1-carbon biomarkers in maternal plasma back-extrapolated to conception, and cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) methylation at 50 ME loci in their infants’ blood at a mean age of 3.3 mo (n = 120 mother-child pairs). We tested for interactions between seasonality and effects of biomarker concentrations on mean ME methylation z score. We used backward stepwise linear regression to select the profile of nutritional predictors of methylation in each season and repeated this analysis with biomarker principal components (PCs) to capture biomarker covariation.

Results

We found preliminary evidence of seasonal differences in biomarker-methylation associations for folate, choline, and homocysteine (interaction P values ≤0.03). Furthermore, in stratified analyses, biomarker predictors of methylation changed between seasons. In the dry season, vitamin B-2 and methionine were positive predictors. In the rainy season, however, choline and vitamin B-6 were positive predictors, and folate and vitamin B-12 were negative predictors. PC1 captured covariation in the folate metabolism cycle and predicted methylation in dry season conceptions. PC2 represented the betaine remethylation pathway and predicted rainy season methylation.

Conclusions

Underlying nutritional status may modify the association between nutritional biomarkers and methylation, and should be considered in future studies.

MiR-199a-5p regulates sirtuin1 and PI3K in the rat hippocampus with intrauterine growth restriction

In humans, malnutrition during pregnancy results in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and an increased risk of neurological morbidities; altered miRNA characteristics have been suggested to contribute to IUGR neurological pathogenesis. A miRNA microarray was used to identify differentially expressed miRNA molecules in the hippocampi of rats with IUGR. Five of the molecules in question were selectively validated using real-time PCR in rats with IUGR. We then investigated the role of miR-199a-5p in hippocampal pathology. Bioinformatics analysis results suggested that TNF-α, caspase-3 and SIRT1 were potential targets of miR-199a-5p. Changes in PI3K, SIRT1 and caspase-3 protein expressions levels in the hippocampus were confirmed by Western blot analysis (all P < 0.05). Studies using the pheochromocytoma cell line PC12 cells and primary neurons demonstrated that miR-199a-5p modulated PI3K, caspase-3 and SIRT1 expression. Additionally, there was an inverse correlation between miR-199a-5p and caspase-3 expression, though dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that caspase-3 is not a target of miR-199a-5p. We conclude that IUGR affects hippocampal miRNAs characteristics. Our results also indicated that aberrantly high expression levels of miR-199a-5p may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IUGR by regulating SIRT1 and PI3K.

Methyl donors dietary supplementation to gestating sows diet improves the growth rate of offspring and is associating with changes in expression and DNA methylation of insulin-like growth factor-1 gene

The study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal dietary methyl donors on the performance of sows and their offspring, and the associated hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) expression of the offspring. A total of 24 multiparous sows were randomly fed the control (CON) or the CON diet supplemented with methyl donors (MD) at 3 g/kg betaine, 15 mg/kg folic acid, 400 mg/kg choline and 150 μg/kg VB₁₂ , from mating until delivery. After farrowing, sows were fed a common lactation diet through a 28-days lactation period and six litters per treatment were selected to be fed until at approximately 110 kg BW. Maternal MD supplementation resulted in greater birthweight (p < 0.05) and increased the piglet weights (p < 0.01) and litter weights (p < 0.05) at the age of day 28, compared with that in CON group. The offspring pigs in the MD group had greater ADG (p < 0.05) and tended to lower F:G ratio (p = 0.07) compared with that of CON group from day 28 to 180 of age. The offspring pigs from MD group had greater serum IGF-1 concentrations and expressions of hepatic IGF-1 gene and muscular IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1r) protein at birth (p < 0.05), and greater hepatic IGF-1 protein (p = 0.03) and muscular IGF-1r gene expressions (p < 0.05) at slaughter, than that from the CON group. Moreover, the methylation at the promoter of IGF-1 gene in the liver of newborn piglets and finishing pigs was greater in the MD group than that of the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, maternal MD supplementation throughout gestation could enhance the birthweight and postnatal growth rate of offspring, associated with an increased expression of the IGF-1 gene and IGF-1r, as well as the altered DNA methylation of IGF-1 gene promotor.

Pharma-Nutritional Properties of Olive Oil Phenols. Transfer of New Findings to Human Nutrition

The Mediterranean diet has been long associated with improved cardiovascular prognosis, chemoprevention, and lower incidence of neurodegeneration. Of the multiple components of this diet, olive oil stands out because its use has historically been limited to the Mediterranean basin. The health benefits of olive oil and some of its components are being rapidly decoded. In this paper we review the most recent pharma-nutritional investigations on olive oil biophenols and their health effects, chiefly focusing on recent findings that elucidate their molecular mechanisms of action.

Maternal overnutrition programs epigenetic changes in the regulatory regions of hypothalamic Pomc in the offspring of rats

Background and objective

Maternal overnutrition has been implicated in affecting the offspring by programming metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, by mechanisms that are not clearly understood. This study aimed to determine the long-term impact of maternal high-fat (HF) diet feeding on epigenetic changes in the offspring’s hypothalamic Pomc gene, coding a key factor in the control of energy balance. Further, it aimed to study the additional effects of postnatal overnutrition on epigenetic programming by maternal nutrition.

Methods

Eight-week-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were fed HF diet or low-fat (LF) diet for 6 weeks before mating, and throughout gestation and lactation. At postnatal day 21, samples were collected from a third offspring and the remainder were weaned onto LF diet for 5 weeks, after which they were either fed LF or HF diet for 12 weeks, resulting in four groups of offspring differing by their maternal and postweaning diet.

Results

With maternal HF diet, offspring at weaning had rapid early weight gain, increased adiposity, and hyperleptinemia. The programmed adult offspring, subsequently fed LF diet, retained the increased body weight. Maternal HF diet combined with offspring HF diet caused more pronounced hyperphagia, fat mass, and insulin resistance. The ARC Pomc gene from programmed offspring at weaning showed hypermethylation in the enhancer (nPE1 and nPE2) regions and in the promoter sequence mediating leptin effects. Interestingly, hypermethylation at the Pomc promoter but not at the enhancer region persisted long term into adulthood in the programmed offspring. However, there were no additive effects on methylation levels in the regulatory regions of Pomc in programmed offspring fed a HF diet.

Conclusion

Maternal overnutrition programs long-term epigenetic alterations in the offspring’s hypothalamic Pomc promoter. This predisposes the offspring to metabolic disorders later in life.

Epigenetic effects of the pregnancy Mediterranean diet adherence on the offspring metabolic syndrome markers

Metabolic syndrome (MS) has a multifactorial and not yet fully clarified origin. Insulin resistance is a key element that connects all the accepted components of MS (obesity, dyslipemia, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia). There is strong evidence that epigenetic changes during fetal development are key factors in the development of MS. These changes are induced by maternal nutrition, among different factors, affecting the intrauterine environment. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be a healthy eating pattern that protects against the development of MS in adults. Similarly, the Mediterranean diet could have a similar action during pregnancy, protecting the fetus against the development of MS throughout life. This review assembles studies carried out, both in animals and humans, on the epigenetic modifications associated with the consumption, during pregnancy, of Mediterranean diet main components. The relationship between these modifications and the occurrence of factors involved in development of MS is also explained. In addition, the results of our group relating adherence to the Mediterranean diet with MS markers are discussed. The paper ends suggesting future actuation lines in order to increase knowledge on Mediterranean diet adherence as a prevention tool of MS development.

In Utero Exposure to a High-Fat Diet Programs Hepatic Hypermethylation and Gene Dysregulation and Development of Metabolic Syndrome in Male Mice

Exposure to a high-fat (HF) diet in utero is associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome later in life. However, the molecular basis of this enhanced susceptibility for metabolic disease is poorly understood. Gene expression microarray and genome-wide DNA methylation analyses of mouse liver revealed that exposure to a maternal HF milieu activated genes of immune response, inflammation, and hepatic dysfunction. DNA methylation analysis revealed 3360 differentially methylated loci, most of which (76%) were hypermethylated and distributed preferentially to hotspots on chromosomes 4 [atherosclerosis susceptibility quantitative trait loci (QTLs) 1] and 18 (insulin-dependent susceptibility QTLs 21). Interestingly, we found six differentially methylated genes within these hotspot QTLs associated with metabolic disease that maintain altered gene expression into adulthood (Arhgef19, Epha2, Zbtb17/Miz-1, Camta1 downregulated; and Ccdc11 and Txnl4a upregulated). Most of the hypermethylated genes in these hotspots are associated with cardiovascular system development and function. There were 140 differentially methylated genes that showed a 1.5-fold increase or decrease in messenger RNA levels. Many of these genes play a role in cell signaling pathways associated with metabolic disease. Of these, metalloproteinase 9, whose dysregulation plays a key role in diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, was upregulated 1.75-fold and hypermethylated in the gene body. In summary, exposure to a maternal HF diet causes DNA hypermethylation, which is associated with long-term gene expression changes in the liver of exposed offspring, potentially contributing to programmed development of metabolic disease later in life.