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Buckley LA, Kulhanek DR, Bruder A, Gisslen T, Paulsen ME. Inflammation as a Sex-Specific Mediator in the Relationship between Maternal and Offspring Obesity in C57Bl/6J Mice. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:399. [PMID: 38927279 PMCID: PMC11200566 DOI: 10.3390/biology13060399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Maternal obesity is a well-established risk factor for offspring obesity development. The relationship between maternal and offspring obesity is mediated in part by developmental programming of offspring metabolic circuitry, including hypothalamic signaling. Dysregulated hypothalamic inflammation has also been linked to development of obesity. We utilized an established C57Bl/6J mouse model of high-fat, high-sugar diet induced maternal obesity to evaluate the effect of maternal obesity on systemic and hypothalamic TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β levels in neonatal and adult offspring. The offspring of dams with obesity demonstrated increased adiposity and decreased activity compared to control offspring. Maternal obesity was associated with decreased plasma TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in adult female offspring and decreased plasma IL-6 in neonatal male offspring. Neonatal female offspring of obese dams had decreased TNF-α gene expression in the hypothalamus compared to control females, while neonatal and adult male offspring of obese dams had decreased IL-6 gene expression in the hypothalamus compared to control males. In summary, our results highlight important sex differences in the inflammatory phenotype of offspring exposed to maternal obesity. Sex-specific immunomodulatory mechanisms should be considered in future efforts to develop therapeutic interventions for obesity prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A. Buckley
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (D.R.K.); (A.B.); (T.G.); (M.E.P.)
| | - Debra R. Kulhanek
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (D.R.K.); (A.B.); (T.G.); (M.E.P.)
| | - Adrienne Bruder
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (D.R.K.); (A.B.); (T.G.); (M.E.P.)
| | - Tate Gisslen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (D.R.K.); (A.B.); (T.G.); (M.E.P.)
- Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
| | - Megan E. Paulsen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; (D.R.K.); (A.B.); (T.G.); (M.E.P.)
- Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
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Shang Y, Wang X, Su S, Ji F, Shao D, Duan C, Chen T, Liang C, Zhang D, Lu H. Identifying of immune-associated genes for assessing the obesity-associated risk to the offspring in maternal obesity: A bioinformatics and machine learning. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14700. [PMID: 38544384 PMCID: PMC10973700 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Perinatal exposure to maternal obesity predisposes offspring to develop obesity later in life. Immune dysregulation in the hypothalamus, the brain center governing energy homeostasis, is pivotal in obesity development. This study aimed to identify key candidate genes associated with the risk of offspring obesity in maternal obesity. METHODS We obtained obesity-related datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. GSE135830 comprises gene expression data from the hypothalamus of mouse offspring in a maternal obesity model induced by a high-fat diet model (maternal high-fat diet (mHFD) group and maternal chow (mChow) group), while GSE127056 consists of hypothalamus microarray data from young adult mice with obesity (high-fat diet (HFD) and Chow groups). We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and module genes using Limma and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), conducted functional enrichment analysis, and employed a machine learning algorithm (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression) to pinpoint candidate hub genes for diagnosing obesity-associated risk in offspring of maternal obesity. We constructed a nomogram receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the diagnostic value. Additionally, we analyzed immune cell infiltration to investigate immune cell dysregulation in maternal obesity. Furthermore, we verified the expression of the candidate hub genes both in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS The GSE135830 dataset revealed 2868 DEGs between the mHFD offspring and the mChow group and 2627 WGCNA module genes related to maternal obesity. The overlap of DEGs and module genes in the offspring with maternal obesity in GSE135830 primarily enriched in neurodevelopment and immune regulation. In the GSE127056 dataset, 133 DEGs were identified in the hypothalamus of HFD-induced adult obese individuals. A total of 13 genes intersected between the GSE127056 adult obesity DEGs and the GSE135830 maternal obesity module genes that were primarily enriched in neurodevelopment and the immune response. Following machine learning, two candidate hub genes were chosen for nomogram construction. Diagnostic value evaluation by ROC analysis determined Sytl4 and Kncn2 as hub genes for maternal obesity in the offspring. A gene regulatory network with transcription factor-miRNA interactions was established. Dysregulated immune cells were observed in the hypothalamus of offspring with maternal obesity. Expression of Sytl4 and Kncn2 was validated in a mouse model of hypothalamic inflammation and a palmitic acid-stimulated microglial inflammation model. CONCLUSION Two candidate hub genes (Sytl4 and Kcnc2) were identified and a nomogram was developed to predict obesity risk in offspring with maternal obesity. These findings offer potential diagnostic candidate genes for identifying obesity-associated risks in the offspring of obese mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxing Shang
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
| | - Xueqin Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
| | - Sixuan Su
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Medical CollegeNantong UniversityNantongChina
| | - Feng Ji
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
| | - Donghai Shao
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
| | - Chengwei Duan
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
| | - Tianpeng Chen
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
| | - Caixia Liang
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Nantong Clinical Medical College of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical UniversityNantongChina
- Nantong Municipal Key Laboratory of Metabolic Immunology and Disease MicroenvironmentNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Medical CollegeNantong UniversityNantongChina
| | - Hongjian Lu
- Medical Research Center, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
- Jiangsu Provincial Medical Key Discipline (Laboratory) Cultivation Unit, Medical Research CenterNantong First People's HospitalNantongChina
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Affiliated Hospital 2Nantong UniversityNantongChina
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Mezo-González CE, García-Santillán JA, Kaeffer B, Gourdel M, Croyal M, Bolaños-Jiménez F. Adult rats sired by obese fathers present learning deficits associated with epigenetic and neurochemical alterations linked to impaired brain glutamatergic signaling. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2024; 240:e14090. [PMID: 38230587 DOI: 10.1111/apha.14090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
AIM Offspring of obese mothers are at high risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cognitive disabilities. Impaired metabolism has also been reported in the offspring of obese fathers. However, whether brain function can also be affected by paternal obesity has barely been examined. This study aimed to characterize the learning deficits resulting from paternal obesity versus those induced by maternal obesity and to identify the underlying mechanisms. METHODS Founder control and obese female and male Wistar rats were mated to constitute three first-generation (F1) experimental groups: control mother/control father, obese mother/control father, and obese father/control mother. All F1 animals were weaned onto standard chow and underwent a learning test at 4 months of age, after which several markers of glutamate-mediated synaptic plasticity together with the expression of miRNAs targeting glutamate receptors and the concentration of kynurenic and quinolinic acids were quantified in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. RESULTS Maternal obesity induced a severe learning deficit by impairing memory encoding and memory consolidation. The offspring of obese fathers also showed reduced memory encoding but not impaired long-term memory formation. Memory deficits in offspring of obese fathers and obese mothers were associated with a down-regulation of genes encoding NMDA glutamate receptors subunits and several learning-related genes along with impaired expression of miR-296 and miR-146b and increased concentration of kynurenic acid. CONCLUSION Paternal and maternal obesity impair offspring's learning abilities by affecting different processes of memory formation. These cognitive deficits are associated with epigenetic and neurochemical alterations leading to impaired glutamate-mediated synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bertrad Kaeffer
- UMR Physiologie des Adaptations Nutritionnelles, INRAE - Nantes Université, Nantes, France
| | - Mathilde Gourdel
- CRNH-O Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Nantes, France
- CNRS, INSERM, L'institut du Thorax, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
- CHU Nantes, INSERM, CNRS, SFR Santé, INSERM UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Mikaël Croyal
- CRNH-O Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Nantes, France
- CNRS, INSERM, L'institut du Thorax, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
- CHU Nantes, INSERM, CNRS, SFR Santé, INSERM UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France
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Sahu A, Pajai S. The Impact of Obesity on Reproductive Health and Pregnancy Outcomes. Cureus 2023; 15:e48882. [PMID: 38111393 PMCID: PMC10726091 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Women carry the majority of the burden of our obesogenic surroundings, with a larger prevalence of obesity than males, a greater impact on fertility and treatment success, and increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and death. Obesity and its associated morbidity are now among our most pressing global health concerns. Women are more susceptible to gaining weight, which has reproductive, coronary, and emotional consequences. The current data on the negative consequences of obesity before conception (fertility issues, assisted reproductive treatment, polycystic ovary disease, overweight and obesity preventative measures, and emotional well-being), pregnancy (preventing excess gestational body weight, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia, as well as labor and newborn health), and following delivery (the lactation process and breastfeeding, postnatal weight retention, and depressive symptoms) health is summarized. in this review. Along with this, underlying factors, consequences, and solutions to the obesity pandemic are investigated, as well as the mechanisms of obesity's effect on women and men, the epigenetic consequences of masculine obesity, its significant effects on reproductive results, and the implications of the loss of weight preceding to pregnancy as well as during pregnancy. This review suggests study methodologies that might assist in guiding attempts to enhance reproductive health and neonatal health in obese or overweight women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshat Sahu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed to Be University), Wardha, IND
| | - Sandhya Pajai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed to Be University), Wardha, IND
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Ullah R, Shen Y, Zhou YD, Fu J. Perinatal metabolic inflammation in the hypothalamus impairs the development of homeostatic feeding circuitry. Metabolism 2023; 147:155677. [PMID: 37543245 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2023.155677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been a global increase in childhood obesity. This rise in childhood obesity contributes to the susceptibility of impaired metabolism during both childhood and adulthood. The hypothalamus, specifically the arcuate nucleus (ARC), houses crucial neurons involved in regulating homeostatic feeding. These neurons include proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related peptide (AGRP) secreting neurons. They play a vital role in sensing nutrients and metabolic hormones like insulin, leptin, and ghrelin. The neurogenesis of AGRP and POMC neurons completes at birth; however, axon development and synapse formation occur during the postnatal stages in rodents. Insulin, leptin, and ghrelin are the essential regulators of POMC and AGRP neurons. Maternal obesity and postnatal overfeeding or a high-fat diet (HFD) feeding cause metabolic inflammation, disrupted signaling of metabolic hormones, netrin-1, and neurogenic factors, neonatal obesity, and defective neuronal development in animal models; however, the mechanism is unclear. Within the hypothalamus and other brain areas, there exists a wide range of interconnected neuronal populations that regulate various aspects of feeding. However, this review aims to discuss how perinatal metabolic inflammation influences the development of POMC and AGRP neurons within the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahim Ullah
- Department of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310052, China; Institute of Neuroscience, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Shen
- Institute of Neuroscience, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Yu-Dong Zhou
- Institute of Neuroscience, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Junfen Fu
- Department of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310052, China.
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Koshko L, Scofield S, Debarba L, Stilgenbauer L, Fakhoury P, Jayarathne H, Perez-Mojica JE, Griggs E, Lempradl A, Sadagurski M. Prenatal benzene exposure in mice alters offspring hypothalamic development predisposing to metabolic disease in later life. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 330:138738. [PMID: 37084897 PMCID: PMC10199724 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Maternal exposure to environmental contaminants during pregnancy poses a significant threat to a developing fetus, as these substances can easily cross the placenta and disrupt the neurodevelopment of offspring. Specifically, the hypothalamus is essential in the regulation of metabolism, notably during critical windows of development. An abnormal hormonal and inflammatory milieu during development can trigger persistent changes in the function of hypothalamic circuits, leading to long-lasting effects on the body's energy homeostasis and metabolism. We recently demonstrated that gestational exposure to clinically relevant levels of benzene induces severe metabolic dysregulation in the offspring. Given the central role of the hypothalamus in metabolic control, we hypothesized that prenatal exposure to benzene impacts hypothalamic development, contributing to the adverse metabolic effects in the offspring. C57BL/6JB dams were exposed to benzene at 50 ppm in the inhalation chambers exclusively during pregnancy (from E0.5 to E19). Transcriptomic analysis of the exposed offspring at postnatal day 21 (P21) revealed hypothalamic changes in genes related to metabolic regulation, inflammation, and neurodevelopment exclusively in males. Moreover, the hypothalamus of prenatally benzene-exposed male offspring displayed alterations in orexigenic and anorexigenic projections, impairments in leptin signaling, and increased microgliosis. Additional exposure to benzene during lactation did not promote further microgliosis or astrogliosis in the offspring, while the high-fat diet (HFD) challenge in adulthood exacerbated glucose metabolism and hypothalamic inflammation in benzene-exposed offspring of both sexes. These findings reveal the persistent adverse effects of prenatal benzene exposure on hypothalamic circuits and neuroinflammation, predisposing the offspring to long-lasting metabolic health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Koshko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Sydney Scofield
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Lucas Debarba
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Lukas Stilgenbauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Patrick Fakhoury
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Hashan Jayarathne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Ellen Griggs
- Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | | | - Marianna Sadagurski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
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7
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Bölte S, Neufeld J, Marschik PB, Williams ZJ, Gallagher L, Lai MC. Sex and gender in neurodevelopmental conditions. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:136-159. [PMID: 36747038 PMCID: PMC10154737 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00774-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Health-related conditions often differ qualitatively or quantitatively between individuals of different birth-assigned sexes and gender identities, and/or with different gendered experiences, requiring tailored care. Studying the moderating and mediating effects of sex-related and gender-related factors on impairment, disability, wellbeing and health is of paramount importance especially for neurodivergent individuals, who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions with uneven sex/gender distributions. Researchers have become aware of the myriad influences that sex-related and gender-related variables have on the manifestations of neurodevelopmental conditions, and contemporary work has begun to investigate the mechanisms through which these effects are mediated. Here we describe topical concepts of sex and gender science, summarize current knowledge, and discuss research and clinical challenges related to autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions. We consider sex and gender in the context of epidemiology, behavioural phenotypes, neurobiology, genetics, endocrinology and neighbouring disciplines. The available evidence supports the view that sex and gender are important contributors to the biological and behavioural variability in neurodevelopmental conditions. Methodological caveats such as frequent conflation of sex and gender constructs, inappropriate measurement of these constructs and under-representation of specific demographic groups (for example, female and gender minority individuals and people with intellectual disabilities) limit the translational potential of research so far. Future research and clinical implementation should integrate sex and gender into next-generation diagnostics, mechanistic investigations and support practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Janina Neufeld
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter B Marschik
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
- iDN - interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Division of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Zachary J Williams
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
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8
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Rasmussen JM, Tuulari JJ, Nolvi S, Thompson PM, Merisaari H, Lavonius M, Karlsson L, Entringer S, Wadhwa PD, Karlsson H, Buss C. Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index is associated with newborn offspring hypothalamic mean diffusivity: a prospective dual-cohort study. BMC Med 2023; 21:57. [PMID: 36788536 PMCID: PMC9930241 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-02743-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An extensive body of animal literature supports the premise that maternal obesity during pregnancy can alter the development of the fetal hypothalamus (HTH, a critical regulator of energy balance) with implications for offspring obesity risk (i.e., long-term energy imbalance). Yet, the relationship in humans between maternal overweight/obesity during pregnancy and fetal hypothalamic development remains largely unknown. Here, using an international (Finland and California, USA) multi-site diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) dataset, we test the hypothesis that maternal pre-pregnancy BMI is associated with newborn offspring HTH mean diffusivity (HTH MD, a replicable neural correlate of BMI in adults). METHODS HTH MD was independently quantified in two separate BMI-matched cohorts (up to class II obesity; BMIRange = 17-35) using a high-resolution atlas-based definition of HTH. A total of n = 231 mother-child dyads were available for this analysis (nSite,1 = 152, age at MRI = 26.7 ± 8.1 days, gestational age at birth = 39.9 ± 1.2 weeks, nM/F = 82/70, BMI = 24.2 ± 3.8; nSite,2 = 79, age at MRI = 25.6 ± 12.5 days, gestational age at birth = 39.3 ± 1.5 weeks, nM/F = 45/34, BMI = 25.1 ± 4.0). The association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and newborn offspring HTH MD was examined separately in each cohort using linear regression adjusting for gestational age at birth, postnatal age at scan, sex, whole white matter mean diffusivity, and DTI quality control criteria. In post hoc analyses, additional potentially confounding factors including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and obstetric risk were adjusted where appropriate. RESULTS The distribution of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was comparable across sites but differed by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. A positive linear association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and newborn offspring HTH MD was observed at both sites ([Formula: see text]Site,1 = 0.17, pSite,1 = 0.01; [Formula: see text]Site,2 = 0.22, pSite,2 = 0.03) and remained significant after adjusting for cohort-relevant covariates. CONCLUSIONS These findings translate the preclinically established association between maternal obesity during pregnancy and offspring hypothalamic microstructure to the human context. In addition to further replication/generalization, future efforts to identify biological mediators of the association between maternal obesity and fetal HTH development are warranted to develop targeted strategies for the primary prevention of childhood obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerod M Rasmussen
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Turku Collegium for Science Technology and Medicine (TCSMT), University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (Sigrid Juselius Fellowship), Oxford, UK
| | - Saara Nolvi
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Harri Merisaari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Maria Lavonius
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pathik D Wadhwa
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Claudia Buss
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
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9
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Zhang J, Li S, Luo X, Zhang C. Emerging role of hypothalamus in the metabolic regulation in the offspring of maternal obesity. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1094616. [PMID: 36819678 PMCID: PMC9928869 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1094616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal obesity has a significant impact on the metabolism of offspring both in childhood and adulthood. The metabolic regulation of offspring is influenced by the intrauterine metabolic programming induced by maternal obesity. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms remain unclear. The hypothalamus is the primary target of metabolic programming and the principal regulatory center of energy metabolism. Accumulating evidence has indicated the crucial role of hypothalamic regulation in the metabolism of offspring exposed to maternal obesity. This article reviews the development of hypothalamus, the role of the hypothalamic regulations in energy homeostasis, possible mechanisms underlying the developmental programming of energy metabolism in offspring, and the potential therapeutic approaches for preventing metabolic diseases later in life. Lastly, we discuss the challenges and future directions of hypothalamic regulation in the metabolism of children born to obese mothers.
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10
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Koshko L, Scofield S, Debarba L, Stilgenbauer L, Sacla M, Fakhoury P, Jayarathne H, Perez-Mojica JE, Griggs E, Lempradl A, Sadagurski M. Prenatal benzene exposure alters offspring hypothalamic development predisposing to metabolic disease in later life. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.05.522910. [PMID: 36711607 PMCID: PMC9881982 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.05.522910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The hypothalamus is essential in the regulation of metabolism, notably during critical windows of development. An abnormal hormonal and inflammatory milieu during development can trigger persistent changes in the function of hypothalamic circuits, leading to long-lasting effects on the body’s energy homeostasis and metabolism. We recently demonstrated that gestational exposure to benzene at smoking levels induces severe metabolic dysregulation in the offspring. Given the central role of the hypothalamus in metabolic control, we hypothesized that prenatal exposure to benzene impacts hypothalamic development, contributing to the adverse metabolic effects in the offspring. C57BL/6JB dams were exposed to benzene in the inhalation chambers exclusively during pregnancy (from E0.5 to E19). The transcriptome analysis of the offspring hypothalamus at postnatal day 21 (P21) revealed changes in genes related to metabolic regulation, inflammation, and neurodevelopment exclusively in benzene-exposed male offspring. Moreover, the hypothalamus of prenatally benzene-exposed male offspring displayed alterations in orexigenic and anorexigenic projections, impairments in leptin signaling, and increased microgliosis. Additional exposure to benzene during lactation did not promote further microgliosis or astrogliosis in the offspring, while the high-fat diet (HFD) challenge in adulthood exacerbated glucose metabolism and hypothalamic inflammation in benzene-exposed offspring of both sexes. These findings reveal the persistent impact of prenatal benzene exposure on hypothalamic circuits and neuroinflammation, predisposing the offspring to long-lasting metabolic health conditions.
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11
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Cirulli F, De Simone R, Musillo C, Ajmone-Cat MA, Berry A. Inflammatory Signatures of Maternal Obesity as Risk Factors for Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Role of Maternal Microbiota and Nutritional Intervention Strategies. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14153150. [PMID: 35956326 PMCID: PMC9370669 DOI: 10.3390/nu14153150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a main risk factor for the onset and the precipitation of many non-communicable diseases. This condition, which is associated with low-grade chronic systemic inflammation, is of main concern during pregnancy leading to very serious consequences for the new generations. In addition to the prominent role played by the adipose tissue, dysbiosis of the maternal gut may also sustain the obesity-related inflammatory milieu contributing to create an overall suboptimal intrauterine environment. Such a condition here generically defined as “inflamed womb” may hold long-term detrimental effects on fetal brain development, increasing the vulnerability to mental disorders. In this review, we will examine the hypothesis that maternal obesity-related gut dysbiosis and the associated inflammation might specifically target fetal brain microglia, the resident brain immune macrophages, altering neurodevelopmental trajectories in a sex-dependent fashion. We will also review some of the most promising nutritional strategies capable to prevent or counteract the effects of maternal obesity through the modulation of inflammation and oxidative stress or by targeting the maternal microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Cirulli
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; or
- Correspondence: (F.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Roberta De Simone
- National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (R.D.S.); (M.A.A.-C.)
| | - Chiara Musillo
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; or
- PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Ajmone-Cat
- National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (R.D.S.); (M.A.A.-C.)
| | - Alessandra Berry
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; or
- Correspondence: (F.C.); (A.B.)
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12
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Urbonaite G, Knyzeliene A, Bunn FS, Smalskys A, Neniskyte U. The impact of maternal high-fat diet on offspring neurodevelopment. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:909762. [PMID: 35937892 PMCID: PMC9354026 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.909762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A maternal high-fat diet affects offspring neurodevelopment with long-term consequences on their brain health and behavior. During the past three decades, obesity has rapidly increased in the whole human population worldwide, including women of reproductive age. It is known that maternal obesity caused by a high-fat diet may lead to neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring, such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. A maternal high-fat diet can affect offspring neurodevelopment due to inflammatory activation of the maternal gut, adipose tissue, and placenta, mirrored by increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in both maternal and fetal circulation. Furthermore, a maternal high fat diet causes gut microbial dysbiosis further contributing to increased inflammatory milieu during pregnancy and lactation, thus disturbing both prenatal and postnatal neurodevelopment of the offspring. In addition, global molecular and cellular changes in the offspring's brain may occur due to epigenetic modifications including the downregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and the activation of the endocannabinoid system. These neurodevelopmental aberrations are reflected in behavioral deficits observed in animals, corresponding to behavioral phenotypes of certain neurodevelopmental disorders in humans. Here we reviewed recent findings from rodent models and from human studies to reveal potential mechanisms by which a maternal high-fat diet interferes with the neurodevelopment of the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gintare Urbonaite
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Agne Knyzeliene
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen’s Medical Research Centre, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Fanny Sophia Bunn
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Adomas Smalskys
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Urte Neniskyte
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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13
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Rasmussen JM, Thompson PM, Gyllenhammer LE, Lindsay KL, O'Connor TG, Koletzko B, Entringer S, Wadhwa PD, Buss C. Maternal free fatty acid concentration during pregnancy is associated with newborn hypothalamic microstructure in humans. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2022; 30:1462-1471. [PMID: 35785481 PMCID: PMC9541037 DOI: 10.1002/oby.23452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study tested the hypothesis, in a prospective cohort study design, that maternal saturated free fatty acid (sFFA) concentration during pregnancy is prospectively associated with offspring (newborn) hypothalamic (HTH) microstructure and to explore the functional relevance of this association with respect to early-childhood body fat percentage (BF%). METHODS In N = 94 healthy newborns (born mean 39.3 [SD 1.5] weeks gestation), diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed shortly after birth (25.3 [12.5] postnatal days), and a subgroup (n = 37) underwent a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan in early childhood (4.7 [SD 0.7] years). Maternal sFFA concentration during pregnancy was quantified in fasting blood samples via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Infant HTH microstructural integrity was characterized using mean diffusivity (MD). Multiple linear regression was used to test the association between maternal sFFA and HTH MD, accounting for newborn sex, age at scan, mean white matter MD, and image quality. Multiple linear regression models also tested the association between HTH MD and early-childhood BF%, accounting for breastfeeding status. RESULTS Maternal sFFA during pregnancy accounted for 8.3% of the variation in newborn HTH MD (β-std = 0.25; p = 0.006). Furthermore, newborn HTH MD prospectively accounted for 15% of the variation in early-childhood BF% (β-std = 0.32; p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that maternal overnutrition during pregnancy may influence the development of the fetal hypothalamus, which, in turn, may have clinical relevance for childhood obesity risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerod M. Rasmussen
- Development, Health and Disease Research ProgramUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Lauren E. Gyllenhammer
- Development, Health and Disease Research ProgramUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Karen L. Lindsay
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- University of California, Irvine Susan Samueli Integrative Health InstituteCollege of Health Sciences, University of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Thomas G. O'Connor
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, and Obstetrics and GynecologyUniversity of Rochester Medical CenterRochesterNew YorkUSA
| | - Berthold Koletzko
- Division of Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Dr von Hauner Children's HospitalLudwig‐Maximillian University Munich, University HospitalsMunichGermany
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Development, Health and Disease Research ProgramUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Institute of Medical PsychologyCharité University Hospital Berlin, corporate member of Free University of Berlin, Humboldt‐University of BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Pathik D. Wadhwa
- Development, Health and Disease Research ProgramUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human BehaviorUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of EpidemiologyUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Claudia Buss
- Development, Health and Disease Research ProgramUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of California, IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
- Institute of Medical PsychologyCharité University Hospital Berlin, corporate member of Free University of Berlin, Humboldt‐University of BerlinBerlinGermany
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14
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Lippert RN, Brüning JC. Maternal Metabolic Programming of the Developing Central Nervous System: Unified Pathways to Metabolic and Psychiatric Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:898-906. [PMID: 34330407 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The perinatal period presents a critical time in offspring development where environmental insults can have damaging impacts on the future health of the offspring. This can lead to sustained alterations in offspring development, metabolism, and predisposition to both metabolic and psychiatric diseases. The central nervous system is one of the most sensitive targets in response to maternal obesity and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus. While many of the effects of obesity on brain function in adults are known, we are only now beginning to understand the multitude of changes that occur in the brain during development on exposure to maternal overnutrition. Specifically, given recent links between maternal metabolic state and onset of neurodevelopmental diseases, the specific changes that are occurring in the offspring are even more relevant for the study of disease onset. It is therefore critical to understand the developmental effects of maternal obesity and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus and further to define the underlying cellular and molecular changes in the fetal brain. This review focuses on the current advancements in the study of maternal programming of brain development with particular emphasis on brain connectivity, specific regional effects, newly studied peripheral contributors, and key windows of interventions where maternal bodyweight and food intake may drive the most detrimental effects on the brain and associated metabolic and behavioral consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel N Lippert
- German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam Rehbrücke, Potsdam, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research, Neuherberg, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jens C Brüning
- German Center for Diabetes Research, Neuherberg, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany; Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Preventive Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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15
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Prieto-Villalobos J, Alvear TF, Liberona A, Lucero CM, Martínez-Araya CJ, Balmazabal J, Inostroza CA, Ramírez G, Gómez GI, Orellana JA. Astroglial Hemichannels and Pannexons: The Hidden Link between Maternal Inflammation and Neurological Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179503. [PMID: 34502412 PMCID: PMC8430734 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal inflammation during pregnancy causes later-in-life alterations of the offspring’s brain structure and function. These abnormalities increase the risk of developing several psychiatric and neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, intellectual disability, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, microcephaly, and cerebral palsy. Here, we discuss how astrocytes might contribute to postnatal brain dysfunction following maternal inflammation, focusing on the signaling mediated by two families of plasma membrane channels: hemi-channels and pannexons. [Ca2+]i imbalance linked to the opening of astrocytic hemichannels and pannexons could disturb essential functions that sustain astrocytic survival and astrocyte-to-neuron support, including energy and redox homeostasis, uptake of K+ and glutamate, and the delivery of neurotrophic factors and energy-rich metabolites. Both phenomena could make neurons more susceptible to the harmful effect of prenatal inflammation and the experience of a second immune challenge during adulthood. On the other hand, maternal inflammation could cause excitotoxicity by producing the release of high amounts of gliotransmitters via astrocytic hemichannels/pannexons, eliciting further neuronal damage. Understanding how hemichannels and pannexons participate in maternal inflammation-induced brain abnormalities could be critical for developing pharmacological therapies against neurological disorders observed in the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Prieto-Villalobos
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Tanhia F. Alvear
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Andrés Liberona
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Claudia M. Lucero
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago 8910060, Chile; (C.M.L.); (G.I.G.)
| | - Claudio J. Martínez-Araya
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Javiera Balmazabal
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Carla A. Inostroza
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Gigliola Ramírez
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
| | - Gonzalo I. Gómez
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago 8910060, Chile; (C.M.L.); (G.I.G.)
| | - Juan A. Orellana
- Departamento de Neurología, Escuela de Medicina and Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile; (J.P.-V.); (T.F.A.); (A.L.); (C.J.M.-A.); (J.B.); (C.A.I.); (G.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-23548105
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16
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The impact of maternal obesity on childhood neurodevelopment. J Perinatol 2021; 41:928-939. [PMID: 33249428 DOI: 10.1038/s41372-020-00871-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
There is growing clinical and experimental evidence to suggest that maternal obesity increases children's susceptibility to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Given the worldwide obesity epidemic, it is crucial that we acquire a thorough understanding of the available evidence, identify gaps in knowledge, and develop an agenda for intervention. This review synthesizes human and animal studies investigating the association between maternal obesity and offspring brain health. It also highlights key mechanisms underlying these effects, including maternal and fetal inflammation, alterations to the microbiome, epigenetic modifications of neurotrophic genes, and impaired dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling. Lastly, this review highlights several proposed interventions and priorities for future investigation.
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17
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Mechanisms Underlying the Cognitive and Behavioural Effects of Maternal Obesity. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13010240. [PMID: 33467657 PMCID: PMC7829712 DOI: 10.3390/nu13010240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The widespread consumption of 'western'-style diets along with sedentary lifestyles has led to a global epidemic of obesity. Epidemiological, clinical and preclinical evidence suggests that maternal obesity, overnutrition and unhealthy dietary patterns programs have lasting adverse effects on the physical and mental health of offspring. We review currently available preclinical and clinical evidence and summarise possible underlying neurobiological mechanisms by which maternal overnutrition may perturb offspring cognitive function, affective state and psychosocial behaviour, with a focus on (1) neuroinflammation; (2) disrupted neuronal circuities and connectivity; and (3) dysregulated brain hormones. We briefly summarise research implicating the gut microbiota in maternal obesity-induced changes to offspring behaviour. In animal models, maternal obesogenic diet consumption disrupts CNS homeostasis in offspring, which is critical for healthy neurodevelopment, by altering hypothalamic and hippocampal development and recruitment of glial cells, which subsequently dysregulates dopaminergic and serotonergic systems. The adverse effects of maternal obesogenic diets are also conferred through changes to hormones including leptin, insulin and oxytocin which interact with these brain regions and neuronal circuits. Furthermore, accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiome may directly and indirectly contribute to these maternal diet effects in both human and animal studies. As the specific pathways shaping abnormal behaviour in offspring in the context of maternal obesogenic diet exposure remain unknown, further investigations are needed to address this knowledge gap. Use of animal models permits investigation of changes in neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter activity and hormones across global brain network and sex differences, which could be directly and indirectly modulated by the gut microbiome.
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18
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Cao B, Liu C, Zhang Q, Dong Y. Maternal High-Fat Diet Leads to Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Through Upregulating Hepatic SCD1 Expression in Neonate Rats. Front Nutr 2020; 7:581723. [PMID: 33282902 PMCID: PMC7705221 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2020.581723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the leading cause of liver disease in children, with evidence that the maternal diet and the early life nutritional environment are potential risk for such disease. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of maternal high-fat diet (HFD) on the occurrence of NAFLD in offspring rats and the underlying mechanisms. In this study, the incidence of NAFLD was compared in F1 offspring rats between the maternal HFD group and standard chow (SC) group. In addition, the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in the placenta, in the umbilical cord blood, and in the livers of neonate offsprings were compared between two groups. HepG2 cells were treated with recombinant IL6 (rIL6) to assess stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) expression and lipid synthesis in an inflammatory condition. Lipid accumulation was assayed in both SCD1 overexpression and interference HepG2 cells as well as in neonatal rats. Our results showed that HFD exposure before and throughout the pregnancy induced the elevated hepatic TG content of F1 neonates. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in the placenta, umbilical cord blood, and the livers of HFD F1 neonates were significantly higher than those of the SC group. In addition, rIL6 treatment led to TG accumulation accompanied by the upregulation of SCD1 in HepG2 cell lines. Overexpression of SCD1 led to the accumulation of TG contents in HepG2 cells, whereas Scd1 knockdown attenuated the effects of rIL6 treatment. Overexpression of SCD1 in F1 neonatal rats led to hepatic lipid accumulation. Our study indicated that maternal HFD led to intrauterine inflammation, which subsequently caused transgenerationally abnormal hepatic lipid metabolism of F1 neonates. This modulation might be mediated by upregulating SCD1 expression in hepatic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baige Cao
- Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chongxiao Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianren Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Endocrinology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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19
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Fitzgerald E, Hor K, Drake AJ. Maternal influences on fetal brain development: The role of nutrition, infection and stress, and the potential for intergenerational consequences. Early Hum Dev 2020; 150:105190. [PMID: 32948364 PMCID: PMC7481314 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
An optimal early life environment is crucial for ensuring ideal neurodevelopmental outcomes. Brain development consists of a finely tuned series of spatially and temporally constrained events, which may be affected by exposure to a sub-optimal intra-uterine environment. Evidence suggests brain development may be particularly vulnerable to factors such as maternal nutrition, infection and stress during pregnancy. In this review, we discuss how maternal factors such as these can affect brain development and outcome in offspring, and we also identify evidence which suggests that the outcome can, in many cases, be stratified by socio-economic status (SES), with individuals in lower brackets typically having a worse outcome. We consider the relevant epidemiological evidence and draw parallels to mechanisms suggested by preclinical work where appropriate. We also discuss possible transgenerational effects of these maternal factors and the potential mechanisms involved. We conclude that modifiable factors such as maternal nutrition, infection and stress are important contributors to atypical brain development and that SES also likely has a key role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamon Fitzgerald
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Kahyee Hor
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
| | - Amanda J Drake
- University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
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Kulhanek D, Weigel R, Paulsen ME. Maternal High-Fat-High-Carbohydrate Diet-Induced Obesity Is Associated with Increased Appetite in Peripubertal Male but Not Female C57Bl/6J Mice. Nutrients 2020; 12:E2919. [PMID: 32987812 PMCID: PMC7598591 DOI: 10.3390/nu12102919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet-induced maternal obesity might play a critical role in altering hypothalamic development, predisposing the offspring to obesity and metabolic disease later in life. The objective of this study was to describe both phenotypic and molecular sex differences in peripubertal offspring energy homeostasis, using a mouse model of maternal obesity induced by a high-fat-high-carbohydrate (HFHC) diet. We report that males, not females, exposed to a maternal HFHC diet had increased energy intake. Males exposed to a maternal HFHC diet had a 15% increased meal size and a 46% increased frequency, compared to the control (CON) males, without a change in energy expenditure. CON and HFHC offspring did not differ in body weight, composition, or plasma metabolic profile. HFHC diet caused decreased hypothalamic glucocorticoid expression, which was further decreased in males compared to females. Maternal weight, maternal caloric intake, and male offspring meal frequency were inversely correlated with offspring hypothalamic insulin receptor (IR) expression. There was a significant interaction between maternal-diet exposure and sex in hypothalamic IR. Based on our preclinical data, we suggest that interventions focusing on normalizing maternal nutrition might be considered to attenuate nutritional influences on obesity programming and curb the continuing rise in obesity rates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan E. Paulsen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (D.K.); (R.W.)
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Glendining KA, Fisher LC, Jasoni CL. Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of Satb2 in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10040048. [PMID: 32344561 PMCID: PMC7235991 DOI: 10.3390/life10040048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with a greater risk of poor health outcomes in offspring, including obesity, metabolic disorders, and anxiety, however the incidence of these diseases differs for males and females. Similarly, animal models of maternal obesity have reported sex differences in offspring, for both metabolic outcomes and anxiety-like behaviors. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) is a brain region known to be involved in the regulation of both metabolism and anxiety, and is well documented to be sexually dimorphic. As the VMN is largely composed of glutamatergic neurons, which are important for its functions in modulating metabolism and anxiety, we hypothesized that maternal obesity may alter the number of glutamatergic neurons in the offspring VMN. We used a mouse model of a maternal high-fat diet (mHFD), to examine mRNA expression of the glutamatergic neuronal marker Satb2 in the mediobasal hypothalamus of control and mHFD offspring at GD17.5. We found sex differences in Satb2 expression, with mHFD-induced upregulation of Satb2 mRNA in the mediobasal hypothalamus of female offspring, compared to controls, but not males. Using immunohistochemistry, we found an increase in the number of SATB2-positive cells in female mHFD offspring VMN, compared to controls, which was localized to the rostral region of the nucleus. These data provide evidence that maternal nutrition during gestation alters the developing VMN, possibly increasing its glutamatergic drive of offspring in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute to sexual dimorphism in offspring health outcomes later in life.
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Khambadkone SG, Cordner ZA, Tamashiro KLK. Maternal stressors and the developmental origins of neuropsychiatric risk. Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 57:100834. [PMID: 32084515 PMCID: PMC7243665 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The maternal environment during pregnancy is critical for fetal development and perinatal perturbations can prime offspring disease risk. Here, we briefly review evidence linking two well-characterized maternal stressors - psychosocial stress and infection - to increased neuropsychiatric risk in offspring. In the current climate of increasing obesity and globalization of the Western-style diet, maternal overnutrition emerges as a pressing public health concern. We focus our attention on recent epidemiological and animal model evidence showing that, like psychosocial stress and infection, maternal overnutrition can also increase offspring neuropsychiatric risk. Using lessons learned from the psychosocial stress and infection literature, we discuss how altered maternal and placental physiology in the setting of overnutrition may contribute to abnormal fetal development and resulting neuropsychiatric outcomes. A better understanding of converging pathophysiological pathways shared between stressors may enable development of interventions against neuropsychiatric illnesses that may be beneficial across stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seva G Khambadkone
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular & Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zachary A Cordner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kellie L K Tamashiro
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular & Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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23
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Poon K. Behavioral Feeding Circuit: Dietary Fat-Induced Effects of Inflammatory Mediators in the Hypothalamus. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:591559. [PMID: 33324346 PMCID: PMC7726204 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.591559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Excessive dietary fat intake has extensive impacts on several physiological systems and can lead to metabolic and nonmetabolic disease. In animal models of ingestion, exposure to a high fat diet during pregnancy predisposes offspring to increase intake of dietary fat and causes increase in weight gain that can lead to obesity, and without intervention, these physiological and behavioral consequences can persist for several generations. The hypothalamus is a region of the brain that responds to physiological hunger and fullness and contains orexigenic neuropeptide systems that have long been associated with dietary fat intake. The past fifteen years of research show that prenatal exposure to a high fat diet increases neurogenesis of these neuropeptide systems in offspring brain and are correlated to behavioral changes that induce a pro-consummatory and obesogenic phenotype. Current research has uncovered several potential molecular mechanisms by which excessive dietary fat alters the hypothalamus and involve dietary fatty acids, the immune system, gut microbiota, and transcriptional and epigenetic changes. This review will examine the current knowledge of dietary fat-associated changes in the hypothalamus and the potential pathways involved in modifying the development of orexigenic peptide neurons that lead to changes in ingestive behavior, with a special emphasis on inflammation by chemokines.
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24
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Yeh SHH, Shie FS, Liu HK, Yao HH, Kao PC, Lee YH, Chen LM, Hsu SM, Chao LJ, Wu KW, Shiao YJ, Tsay HJ. A high-sucrose diet aggravates Alzheimer's disease pathology, attenuates hypothalamic leptin signaling, and impairs food-anticipatory activity in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 90:60-74. [PMID: 31879131 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
High-fat and high-sugar diets contribute to the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the impact of high-fat diets on AD pathogenesis has been established, the effect of high-sucrose diets (HSDs) on AD pathogenesis remains unclear. This study sought to determine the impact of HSDs on AD-related pathologies. Male APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) transgenic and wild-type mice were provided with HSD and their cognitive and hypothalamus-related noncognitive parameters, including feeding behaviors and glycemic regulation, were compared. HSD-fed APP/PS1 mice showed increased neuroinflammation, as well as increased cortical and serum levels of amyloid-β. HSD-fed APP/PS1 mice showed aggravated obesity, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and leptin resistance, but there was no induction of hyperphagia or hyperleptinemia. Leptin-induced phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamus was reduced in HSD-fed APP/PS1 mice, which might be associated with attenuated food-anticipatory activity, glycemic dysregulation, and AD-related noncognitive symptoms. Our study demonstrates that HSD aggravates metabolic stresses, increases AD-related pathologies, and attenuates hypothalamic leptin signaling in APP/PS1 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Feng-Shiun Shie
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Research, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, Miaoli, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Hui-Kang Liu
- National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Clinical Drug Development of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Heng-Hsiang Yao
- Institute of Neuroscience, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Pei-Chen Kao
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Research, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, Miaoli, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yi-Heng Lee
- Institute of Neuroscience, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.; Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Li-Min Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Shu-Meng Hsu
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Research, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, Miaoli, Taiwan, R.O.C.; Institute of Neuroscience, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Li-Jung Chao
- Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Kuan-Wei Wu
- Institute of Biopharmaceutical Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Young-Ji Shiao
- National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan; Ph.D. Program in Clinical Drug Development of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.; Institute of Biopharmaceutical Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C..
| | - Huey-Jen Tsay
- Institute of Neuroscience, School of Life Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C..
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25
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Contu L, Nizari S, Heath CJ, Hawkes CA. Pre- and Post-natal High Fat Feeding Differentially Affects the Structure and Integrity of the Neurovascular Unit of 16-Month Old Male and Female Mice. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1045. [PMID: 31632236 PMCID: PMC6783577 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Compelling experimental and clinical evidence supports a role for maternal obesity in offspring health. Adult children of obese mothers are at greater risk of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke. These offspring may also be at greater risk of age-related neurodegenerative diseases for which mid-life obesity is a risk factor. Rodent diet-induced obesity models have shown that high fat (HF) diet consumption damages the integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in the adult brain. However, there is currently little information about the effect of chronic HF feeding on the BBB of aged animals. Moreover, the long-term consequences of maternal obesity on the cerebrovasculature of aged offspring are not known. This study determined the impact of pre- and post-natal HF diet on the structure and integrity of cerebral blood vessels in aged male and female mice. Female C57Bl/6 mice were fed either a 10% fat control (C) or 45% HF diet before mating and during gestation and lactation. At weaning, male and female offspring were fed the C or HF diet until sacrifice at 16-months of age. Both dams and offspring fed the HF diet weighed significantly more than mice fed the C diet. Post-natal HF diet exposure increased hippocampal BBB leakiness in female offspring, in association with loss of astrocyte endfoot coverage of arteries. Markers of tight junctions, pericytes or smooth muscle cells were not altered by pre- or post-natal HF diet. Male offspring born to HF-fed mothers showed decreased parenchymal GFAP expression compared to offspring of mothers fed C diet, while microglial and macrophage markers were higher in the same female diet group. In addition, female offspring exposed to the HF diet for their entire lifespan showed more significant changes in vessel structure, BBB permeability and inflammation compared to male animals. These results suggest that the long-term impact of prenatal HF diet on the integrity of cerebral blood vessels differs between male and female offspring depending on the post-natal diet. This may have implications for the prevention and management of age- and obesity-related cerebrovascular diseases that differentially affect men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Contu
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Shereen Nizari
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Cheryl A Hawkes
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
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26
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Abbink MR, van Deijk ALF, Heine VM, Verheijen MH, Korosi A. The involvement of astrocytes in early-life adversity induced programming of the brain. Glia 2019; 67:1637-1653. [PMID: 31038797 PMCID: PMC6767561 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Early‐life adversity (ELA) in the form of stress, inflammation, or malnutrition, can increase the risk of developing psychopathology or cognitive problems in adulthood. The neurobiological substrates underlying this process remain unclear. While neuronal dysfunction and microglial contribution have been studied in this context, only recently the role of astrocytes in early‐life programming of the brain has been appreciated. Astrocytes serve many basic roles for brain functioning (e.g., synaptogenesis, glutamate recycling), and are unique in their capacity of sensing and integrating environmental signals, as they are the first cells to encounter signals from the blood, including hormonal changes (e.g., glucocorticoids), immune signals, and nutritional information. Integration of these signals is especially important during early development, and therefore we propose that astrocytes contribute to ELA induced changes in the brain by sensing and integrating environmental signals and by modulating neuronal development and function. Studies in rodents have already shown that ELA can impact astrocytes on the short and long term, however, a critical review of these results is currently lacking. Here, we will discuss the developmental trajectory of astrocytes, their ability to integrate stress, immune, and nutritional signals from the early environment, and we will review how different types of early adversity impact astrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maralinde R Abbink
- Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anne-Lieke F van Deijk
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vivi M Heine
- Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mark H Verheijen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aniko Korosi
- Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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27
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Russell JA, Brunton PJ. Giving a good start to a new life via maternal brain allostatic adaptations in pregnancy. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100739. [PMID: 30802468 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Successful pregnancy requires adjustments to multiple maternal homeostatic mechanisms, governed by the maternal brain to support and enable survival of the growing fetus and placenta. Such adjustments fit the concept of allostasis (stability through change) and have a cost: allostatic load. Allostasis is driven by ovarian, anterior pituitary, placental and feto-placental hormones acting on the maternal brain to promote adaptations that support the pregnancy and protect the fetus. Many women carry an existing allostatic load into pregnancy, from socio-economic circumstances, poor mental health and in 'developed' countries, also from obesity. These pregnancies have poorer outcomes indicating negative interactions (failing allostasis) between pre-pregnancy and pregnancy allostatic loads. Use of animal models, such as adult prenatally stressed female offspring with abnormal neuroendocrine, metabolic and behavioural phenotypes, to probe gene expression changes, and epigenetic mechanisms in the maternal brain in adverse pregnancies are discussed, with the prospect of ameliorating poor pregnancy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Russell
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Paula J Brunton
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Haining, Zhejiang, PR China.
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28
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Lozano DC, Choe TE, Cepurna WO, Morrison JC, Johnson EC. Early Optic Nerve Head Glial Proliferation and Jak-Stat Pathway Activation in Chronic Experimental Glaucoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2019; 60:921-932. [PMID: 30835784 PMCID: PMC6402265 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.18-25700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We previously reported increased expression of cell proliferation and Jak-Stat pathway-related genes in chronic experimental glaucoma model optic nerve heads (ONH) with early, mild injury. Here, we confirm these observations by localizing, identifying, and quantifying ONH cellular proliferation and Jak-Stat pathway activation in this model. METHODS Chronic intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation was achieved via outflow pathway sclerosis. After 5 weeks, ONH longitudinal sections were immunolabeled with proliferation and cell-type markers to determine nuclear densities in the anterior (unmyelinated) and transition (partially myelinated) ONH. Nuclear pStat3 labeling was used to detect Jak-Stat pathway activation. Nuclear density differences between control ONH (uninjected) and ONH with either early or advanced injury (determined by optic nerve injury grading) were identified by ANOVA. RESULTS Advanced injury ONH had twice the nuclear density (P < 0.0001) of controls and significantly greater astrocyte density in anterior (P = 0.0001) and transition (P = 0.006) ONH regions. An increased optic nerve injury grade positively correlated with increased microglia/macrophage density in anterior and transition ONH (P < 0.0001, both). Oligodendroglial density was unaffected. In glaucoma model ONH, 80% of anterior and 66% of transition region proliferating cells were astrocytes. Nuclear pStat3 labeling significantly increased in early injury anterior ONH, and 95% colocalized with astrocytes. CONCLUSIONS Astrocytes account for the majority of proliferating cells, contributing to a doubled nuclear density in advanced injury ONH. Jak-Stat pathway activation is apparent in the early injury glaucoma model ONH. These data confirm dramatic astrocyte cell proliferation and early Jak-Stat pathway activation in ONH injured by elevated IOP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C. Lozano
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Tiffany E. Choe
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - William O. Cepurna
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - John C. Morrison
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
| | - Elaine C. Johnson
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States
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29
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Maternal High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity Modifies Histone Binding and Expression of Oxtr in Offspring Hippocampus in a Sex-Specific Manner. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20020329. [PMID: 30650536 PMCID: PMC6359595 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal obesity during pregnancy increases risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Epigenetic deregulation associates with many neurodevelopmental disorders, and recent evidence indicates that maternal nutritional status can alter chromatin marks in the offspring brain. Thus, maternal obesity may disrupt epigenetic regulation of gene expression during offspring neurodevelopment. Using a C57BL/6 mouse model, we investigated whether maternal high fat diet (mHFD)-induced obesity alters the expression of genes previously implicated in the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders within the Gestational Day 17.5 (GD 17.5) offspring hippocampus. We found significant two-fold upregulation of oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) mRNA in the hippocampus of male, but not female, GD 17.5 offspring from mHFD-induced obese dams (p < 0.05). To determine whether altered histone binding at the Oxtr gene promoter may underpin these transcriptional changes, we then performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Consistent with the Oxtr transcriptional changes, we observed increased binding of active histone mark H3K9Ac at the Oxtr transcriptional start site (TSS) in the hippocampus of mHFD male (p < 0.05), but not female, offspring. Together, these data indicate an increased vulnerability of male offspring to maternal obesity-induced changes in chromatin remodeling processes that regulate gene expression in the developing hippocampus, and contributes to our understanding of how early life nutrition affects the offspring brain epigenome.
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30
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Umezawa M, Onoda A, Korshunova I, Jensen ACØ, Koponen IK, Jensen KA, Khodosevich K, Vogel U, Hougaard KS. Maternal inhalation of carbon black nanoparticles induces neurodevelopmental changes in mouse offspring. Part Fibre Toxicol 2018; 15:36. [PMID: 30201004 PMCID: PMC6131790 DOI: 10.1186/s12989-018-0272-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Engineered nanoparticles are smaller than 100 nm and designed to improve or creating even new physico-chemical properties. Consequently, toxicological properties of materials may change as size reaches the nm size-range. We examined outcomes related to the central nervous system in the offspring following maternal inhalation exposure to nanosized carbon black particles (Printex 90). Methods Time-mated mice (NMRI) were exposed by inhalation, for 45 min/day to 0, 4.6 or 37 mg/m3 aerosolized carbon black on gestation days 4–18, i.e. for a total of 15 days. Outcomes included maternal lung inflammation (differential cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and Saa3 mRNA expression in lung tissue), offspring neurohistopathology and behaviour in the open field test. Results Carbon black exposure did not cause lung inflammation in the exposed females, measured 11 or 28–29 days post-exposure. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression levels were dose-dependently increased in astrocytes around blood vessels in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in six weeks old offspring, indicative of reactive astrogliosis. Also enlarged lysosomal granules were observed in brain perivascular macrophages (PVMs) in the prenatally exposed offspring. The number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons and the expression levels of parvalbumin were decreased in the motor and prefrontal cortices at weaning and 120 days of age in the prenatally exposed offspring. In the open field test, behaviour was dose-dependently altered following maternal exposure to Printex 90, at 90 days of age. Prenatally exposed female offspring moved a longer total distance, and especially males spent significantly longer time in the central zone of the maze. In the offspring, the described effects were long-lasting as they were present at all time points investigated. Conclusion The present study reports for the first time that maternal inhalation exposure to Printex 90 carbon black induced dose-dependent denaturation of PVM and reactive astrocytes, similarly to the findings observed following maternal exposure to Printex 90 by airway instillation. Of note, some of the observed effects have striking similarities with those observed in mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12989-018-0272-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masakazu Umezawa
- Research Institute for Science and Technology, Organization for Research Advancement, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan.,Department of Materials Science and Technology, Faculty of Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsuto Onoda
- Research Institute for Science and Technology, Organization for Research Advancement, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan.,Department of Hygienic Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan.,Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 102-0083, Japan
| | - Irina Korshunova
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Alexander C Ø Jensen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Ismo K Koponen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Keld A Jensen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Konstantin Khodosevich
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Ulla Vogel
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.,Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Karin S Hougaard
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. .,Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
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31
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Zhang YP, Huo YL, Fang ZQ, Wang XF, Li JD, Wang HP, Peng W, Johnson AK, Xue B. Maternal high-fat diet acts on the brain to induce baroreflex dysfunction and sensitization of angiotensin II-induced hypertension in adult offspring. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2018; 314:H1061-H1069. [PMID: 29373045 PMCID: PMC6008148 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00698.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that maternal high-fat diet (HFD) is associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in adult offspring. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal HFD modulates the brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS), oxidative stress, and proinflammatory cytokines that alter angiotensin II (ANG II) and TNF-α actions and sensitize the ANG II-elicited hypertensive response in adult offspring. All offspring were cross fostered by dams on the same or opposite diet to yield the following four groups: offspring from normal-fat control diet-fed dams suckled by control diet-fed dams (OCC group) or by HFD-fed dams (OCH group) and offspring from HFD-fed dams fed a HFD suckled by control diet-fed dams (OHC group) or by HFD-fed dams (OHH group). RT-PCR analyses of the lamina terminalis and paraventricular nucleus indicated upregulation of mRNA expression of several RAS components, NADPH oxidase, and proinflammatory cytokines in 10-wk-old male offspring of dams fed a HFD during either pregnancy, lactation, or both (OHC, OCH, and OHH groups). These offspring also showed decreased cardiac baroreflex sensitivity and increased pressor responses to intracerebroventricular microinjection of either ANG II or TNF-α. Furthermore, chronic systemic infusion of ANG II resulted in enhanced upregulation of mRNA expression of RAS components, NADPH oxidase, and proinflammatory cytokines in the lamina terminalis and paraventricular nucleus and an augmented hypertensive response in the OHC, OCH, and OHH groups compared with the OCC group. The results suggest that maternal HFD blunts cardiac baroreflex function and enhances pressor responses to ANG II or proinflammatory cytokines through upregulation of the brain RAS, oxidative stress, and inflammation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The results of our study indicate that a maternal high-fat diet during either pregnancy or lactation is sufficient for perinatal programming of sensitization for hypertension, which is associated with hyperreactivity of central cardiovascular nuclei that, in all likelihood, involves elevated expression of the renin-angiotensin system, NADPH oxidase, and proinflammatory cytokines. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, the central mechanism underlying maternal high-fat diet sensitization of the hypertensive response in adult offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhi-Qin Fang
- First Affiliated Hospital, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei , China
| | | | | | | | | | - Alan Kim Johnson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Baojian Xue
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa
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McMenamin CA, Travagli RA, Browning KN. Perinatal high fat diet increases inhibition of dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus neurons regulating gastric functions. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2018; 30:10.1111/nmo.13150. [PMID: 28762595 PMCID: PMC5739938 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.13150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest an increased inhibition of dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) neurons following exposure to a perinatal high fat diet (PNHFD); the underlying neural mechanisms, however, remain unknown. This study assessed the effects of PNHFD on inhibitory synaptic inputs to DMV neurons and the vagally dependent control of gastric tone and motility. METHODS Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were made from DMV neurons in thin brainstem slices from Sprague-Dawley rats fed either a control diet or HFD (14 or 60% kcal from fat, respectively) from embryonic day 13 onwards; gastric tone and motility were recorded in in vivo anesthetized rats. KEY RESULTS The non-selective GABAA antagonist, BIC (10 μmol L-1 ), induced comparable inward currents in PNHFD and control DMV neurons, but a larger current in PNHFD neurons at higher concentrations (50 μmol L-1 ). Differences were not apparent in neuronal responses to the phasic GABAA antagonist, gabazine (GBZ), the extrasynaptic GABAA agonist, THIP, the GABA transport blocker, nipecotic acid, or the gliotoxin, fluoroacetate, suggesting that PNHFD altered inhibitory transmission but not GABAA receptor density or function, GABA uptake or glial modulation of synaptic strength. Similarly, the increase in gastric motility and tone following brainstem microinjection of low doses of BIC (1-10 pmoles) and GBZ (0.01-0.1 pmoles) were unchanged in PNHFD rats while higher doses of BIC (25 pmoles) induced a significantly larger increase in gastric tone compared to control. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES These studies suggest that exposure to PNHFD increases the tonic inhibition of DMV neurons, possibly contributing to dysregulated vagal control of gastric functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kirsteen N. Browning
- Address for correspondence: Kirsteen N Browning, PhD, Department of Neural and Behavioral Science, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, MC H109, Hershey, PA 17033, Tel: 717 531 8267,
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Sanders TR, Glendining KA, Jasoni CL. Obesity during pregnancy in the mouse alters the Netrin-1 responsiveness of foetal arcuate nucleus neuropeptide Y neurones. J Neuroendocrinol 2017; 29. [PMID: 29121420 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
When individuals undergo gestation in an obese dam, they are at increased risk for impairments in the ability of the brain to regulate body weight. In rodents, gestation in an obese dam leads to a number of changes to the development of the hypothalamic neurones that regulate body weight, including reduced neuronal connectivity at birth. In the present study, we aimed to clarify how this neural circuitry develops normally, as well as to explore the mechanism underpinning the deficiency in connectivity seen in foetuses developing in obese dams. First, we developed an in vitro model for observing and manipulating the axonal growth of foetal arcuate nucleus (ARN) neuropeptide (NPY) neurones. We then used this model to test 2 hypotheses: (i) ARN NPY neurones respond to Netrin-1, one of a small number of axon growth and guidance factors that regulate neural circuit formation throughout the developing brain; and (ii) Netrin-1 responsiveness would be lost upon exposure to the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6, which is elevated in foetuses developing in obese dams. We observed that ARN NPY neurones responded to Netrin-1 with a significant expansion of their growth cones, comprising the terminal apparatus that neurones use to navigate. Unexpectedly, we found further that NPY neurones from obese pregnancies had a reduced responsiveness to Netrin-1, raising the possibility that ARN NPY neurones from foetuses developing in obese dams were phenotypically different from normal NPY neurones. Finally, we observed that IL-6 treatment of normal NPY neurones in vitro led to a reduced growth cone responsiveness to Netrin-1, essentially causing them to behave similarly to NPY neurones from obese pregnancies. These results support the hypothesis that IL-6 can disrupt the normal process of axon growth from NPY neurones, and suggest one possible mechanism for how the body weight regulating circuitry fails to develop properly in the offspring of obese dams.
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Affiliation(s)
- T R Sanders
- Department of Anatomy, Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Medical Sciences, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - K A Glendining
- Department of Anatomy, Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Medical Sciences, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - C L Jasoni
- Department of Anatomy, Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago School of Medical Sciences, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Reynolds CM, Segovia SA, Vickers MH. Experimental Models of Maternal Obesity and Neuroendocrine Programming of Metabolic Disorders in Offspring. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:245. [PMID: 28993758 PMCID: PMC5622157 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence from epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies have clearly shown that disease risk in later life is increased following a poor early life environment, a process preferentially termed developmental programming. In particular, this work clearly highlights the importance of the nutritional environment during early development with alterations in maternal nutrition, including both under- and overnutrition, increasing the risk for a range of cardiometabolic and neurobehavioral disorders in adult offspring characterized by both adipokine resistance and obesity. Although the mechanistic basis for such developmental programming is not yet fully defined, a common feature derived from experimental animal models is that of alterations in the wiring of the neuroendocrine pathways that control energy balance and appetite regulation during early stages of developmental plasticity. The adipokine leptin has also received significant attention with clear experimental evidence that normal regulation of leptin levels during the early life period is critical for the normal development of tissues and related signaling pathways that are involved in metabolic and cardiovascular homeostasis. There is also increasing evidence that alterations in the epigenome and other underlying mechanisms including an altered gut-brain axis may contribute to lasting cardiometabolic dysfunction in offspring. Ongoing studies that further define the mechanisms between these associations will allow for identification of early risk markers and implementation of strategies around interventions that will have obvious beneficial implications in breaking a programmed transgenerational cycle of metabolic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mark H. Vickers
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- *Correspondence: Mark H. Vickers,
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Howell KR, Powell TL. Effects of maternal obesity on placental function and fetal development. Reproduction 2016; 153:R97-R108. [PMID: 27864335 DOI: 10.1530/rep-16-0495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and pregnancies in obese mothers have increased risk for complications including gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, pre-term birth and caesarian section. Children born to obese mothers are at increased risk of obesity and metabolic disease and are susceptible to develop neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders. Changes in placental function not only play a critical role in the development of pregnancy complications but may also be involved in linking maternal obesity to long-term health risks in the infant. Maternal adipokines, i.e., interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), leptin and adiponectin link maternal nutritional status and adipose tissue metabolism to placental function. Adipokines and metabolic hormones have direct impact on placental function by modulating placental nutrient transport. Nutrient delivery to the fetus is regulated by a complex interaction including insulin signaling, cytokine profile and insulin responsiveness, which is modulated by adiponectin and IL-1β. In addition, obese pregnant women are at risk for hypertension and preeclampsia with reduced placental vascularity and blood flow, which would restrict placental nutrient delivery to the developing fetus. These sometimes opposing signals regulating placental function may contribute to the diversity of short and long-term outcomes observed in pregnant obese women. This review focuses on the changes in adipokines and obesity-related metabolic hormones, how these factors influence placental function and fetal development to contribute to long-term metabolic and behavioral consequences of children born to obese mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristy R Howell
- Departments of PsychiatryObstetrics/Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Theresa L Powell
- Departments of PsychiatryObstetrics/Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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