Postnatal exercise protects offspring from high-fat diet-induced reductions in subcutaneous adipocyte beiging in C57Bl6/J mice

Chokeberry reduces inflammation in human preadipocytes

Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, is an indigenous fruit from North America used as food and to prevent chronic disease by Indigenous Peoples. The objective of this study was to test anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanin on palmitic acid (PA)-induced IL-6 gene expression, IL-6 DNA methylation, and histone (H3) acetylation. Additionally, we examined effects of anthocyanins Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside (C3Gal) and Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) on IL-6 gene expression. Human primary pre-adipocytes were treated with chokeberry juice extract (CBE), C3Gal or C3G in the presence or absence of PA or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). CBE inhibited LPS- and PA-induced IL-6 mRNA expression (p < 0.0001), while C3G and C3Gal had smaller effects. Human IL-6 promoter DNA methylation was increased (p = 0.0256) in CBE treated cells compared to control. Histone H3 acetylations were not affected by CBE or PA treatment. These data indicate that CBE epigenetically reduced PA-induced inflammation by regulating IL-6 DNA methylation without affecting histone modifications in human preadipocyte cells.

An early prediction model for type 2 diabetes mellitus based on genetic variants and nongenetic risk factors in a Han Chinese cohort

Aims

We aimed to construct a prediction model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a Han Chinese cohort using a genetic risk score (GRS) and a nongenetic risk score (NGRS).

Methods

A total of 297 Han Chinese subjects who were free from type 2 diabetes mellitus were selected from the Tianjin Medical University Chronic Disease Cohort for a prospective cohort study. Clinical characteristics were collected at baseline and subsequently tracked for a duration of 9 years. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were performed for T2DM-related phenotypes. The GRS was constructed using 13 T2DM-related quantitative trait single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) loci derived from GWASs, and NGRS was calculated from 4 biochemical indicators of independent risk that screened by multifactorial Cox regressions.

Results

We found that HOMA-IR, uric acid, and low HDL were independent risk factors for T2DM (HR >1; P<0.05), and the NGRS model was created using these three nongenetic risk factors, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.678; high fasting glucose (FPG >5 mmol/L) was a key risk factor for T2DM (HR = 7.174, P< 0.001), and its addition to the NGRS model caused a significant improvement in AUC (from 0.678 to 0.764). By adding 13 SNPs associated with T2DM to the GRS prediction model, the AUC increased to 0.892. The final combined prediction model was created by taking the arithmetic sum of the two models, which had an AUC of 0.908, a sensitivity of 0.845, and a specificity of 0.839.

Conclusions

We constructed a comprehensive prediction model for type 2 diabetes out of a Han Chinese cohort. Along with independent risk factors, GRS is a crucial element to predicting the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Dilemma of Epigenetic Changes Causing or Reducing Metabolic Disorders in Offsprings of Obese Mothers

Maternal obesity is associated with fetal complications predisposing later to the development of metabolic syndrome during childhood and adult stages. High-fat diet seems to influence individuals and their subsequent generations in mediating weight gain, insulin resistance, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorder. Research evidence strongly suggests that epigenetic alteration is the major contributor to the development of metabolic syndrome through DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA expression. In this review, we have discussed the outcome of recent studies on the adverse and beneficial effects of nutrients and vitamins through epigenetics during pregnancy. We have further discussed about the miRNAs altered during maternal obesity. Identification of new epigenetic modifiers such as mesenchymal stem cells condition media (MSCs-CM)/exosomes for accelerating the reversal of epigenetic abnormalities for the development of new treatments is yet another aspect of the present review.

Effects of maternal HF diet and absence of TRPC1 gene on mouse placental growth and fetal intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR)

Placental tissue intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) regulates placental development and growth. Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) results in placental lipid accumulation, increased inflammation, reduced nutrient transport expression, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Currently, whether maternal HFD differentially affects placental and fetal growth and development under reduced Ca²⁺ influx is not yet known. We hypothesized that maternal HFD feeding decreases placental growth and development resulting in IUGR and that reduction of Ca²⁺ influx in the placenta worsens maternal HFD-induced placental dysfunction and IUGR. Three-week-old female B6129SF2/J wild type (WT) and transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) protein deficient (KO) mice were fed normal fat (NF, 16 kcal % fat) and high fat (HF, 45 kcal % fat) diets for 12 weeks prior to mating with NF diet fed male mice. Fetuses and placentae were examined at mid- (D12) and late- (D18) gestation. At D12, maternal HFD had no effects on placental or fetal weight changes in WT and TRPC1 KO mice while absence of TRPC1 resulted in decreased placental and fetal weights. At D18, maternal HFD increased placental weights in both TRPC1 KO and WT mice, in part, by moderately increasing placental tissue triacylglyceride (TAG, P=.0632). At D12, mRNA expression of key placental growth factors including IGF1, PLGF, and VEGF were increased in WT compared to TRPC1 KO mice while IGF2 and VEGF mRNA expression were increased at D18. Results presented in our study demonstrated that maternal HFD increased placental weight, in part, due to increased lipid concentration resulting in IUGR and via an additive adverse effect of genotype and maternal HFD. Future studies are needed to determine the signaling mechanism underlying Ca²⁺ influx reduction-induced placental dysfunction and IUGR.

Effects of a maternal high-fat diet on adipose tissue in murine offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the influence of a maternal and/or offspring high-fat diet (HFD) on the morphology of the offspring adipocytes and amount of food and energy consumption. The search was conducted through Pubmed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases up to October 31st, 2021. The outcomes were extracted and pooled as a standardized mean difference with random effect models. 5,004 articles were found in the databases. Of these, only 31 were selected for this systematic review and 21 were included in the meta-analysis. A large discrepancy in the percentage of fat composing the HFD (from 14% to 62% fat content) was observed. Considering the increase of adipose tissue by hyperplasia (cell number increase) and hypertrophy (cell size increase) in HFD models, the meta-analysis showed that excessive consumption of a maternal HFD influences the development of visceral white adipose tissue in offspring, related to adipocyte hypertrophy, regardless of their HFD or control diet consumption. Upon following a long-term HFD, hyperplasia was confirmed in the offspring. When analyzing the secondary outcome in terms of the amount of food and energy consumed, there was an increase of caloric intake in the offspring fed with HFD whose mothers consumed HFD. Furthermore, the adipocyte hypertrophy in different regions of the adipose tissue is related to the sex of the pups. Thus, the adipose tissue obesity phenotypes in offspring are programmed by maternal consumption of a high-fat diet, independent of postnatal diet.

Lipidomic Analysis of TRPC1 Ca2+-Permeable Channel-Knock Out Mouse Demonstrates a Vital Role in Placental Tissue Sphingolipid and Triacylglycerol Homeostasis Under Maternal High-Fat Diet

The transient receptor potential canonical channel 1 (TRPC1) is a ubiquitous Ca²⁺-permeable integral membrane protein present in most tissues, including adipose and placenta, and functionally regulates energetic homeostasis. We demonstrated that elimination of TRPC1 in a mouse model increased body adiposity and limited adipose accumulation under a high fat diet (HFD) even under conditions of exercise. Additionally, intracellular Ca²⁺ regulates membrane lipid content via the activation of the protein kinase C pathway, which may impact placental membrane lipid content and structure. Based upon this we investigated the effect of HFD and TRPC1 elimination on neutral lipids (triacylglycerol and cholesteryl ester), membrane lipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine), and other multifunctional lipid species (unesterified cholesterol, sphingomyelins, ceramides). The concentration of unesterified cholesterol and sphingomyelin increased with gestational age (E12.5 to E 18.5.) indicating possible increases in plasma membrane fluidity. Diet-dependent increases ceramide concentration at E12.5 suggest a pro-inflammatory role for HFD in early gestation. TRPC1-dependent decreases in cholesterol ester concentration with concomitant increases in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid -containing triacylglycerols indicate a disruption of neutral lipid homeostasis that may be tied to Ca²⁺ regulation. These results align with changes in lipid content observed in studies of preeclamptic human placenta.