Maternal protein restriction before pregnancy reduces offspring early body mass and affects glucose metabolism in C57BL/6JBom mice

Maternal Low-Protein Diet during Puberty and Adulthood Aggravates Lipid Metabolism of Their Offspring Fed a High-Fat Diet in Mice

A maternal low-protein (LP) diet during gestation and/or lactation results in metabolic syndrome in their offspring. Here, we investigated the effect of maternal LP diet during puberty and adulthood on the metabolic homeostasis of glucose and lipids in offspring. Female mice were fed with normal-protein (NP) diet or a LP diet for 11 weeks. Male offspring were then fed with a high-fat diet (NP-HFD and LP-HFD groups) or standard chow diet (NP-Chow and LP-Chow groups) for 4 months. Results showed that maternal LP diet during puberty and adulthood did not alter the insulin sensitivity and hepatic lipid homeostasis of their offspring under chow diet, but aggravated insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and hypercholesterolemia of offspring in response to a post-weaning HFD. Accordingly, transcriptomics study with offspring’s liver indicated that several genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism, including lipoprotein lipase (Lpl), long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (Acsl1), Apoprotein A1 (Apoa1), major urinary protein 19 (Mup19), cholesterol 7α hydroxylase (Cyp7a1) and fibroblast growth factor 1 (Fgf1), were changed by maternal LP diet. Taken together, maternal LP diet during puberty and adulthood could disarrange the expression of metabolic genes in the liver of offspring and aggravate insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in offspring fed a HFD.

Maternal post-absorptive leucine kinetics during late pregnancy in US women with HIV taking antiretroviral therapy: a cross-sectional pilot study

BACKGROUND

Despite the success of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, infants exposed to cART in utero frequently are born smaller and have mild cardiac abnormalities. The mechanisms responsible for lower birth weight and cardiac abnormalities in children exposed to cART are unclear but could be related to dysregulation of maternal amino acid metabolism during pregnancy. Previous data in HIV(-) women have shown a relationship between abnormal maternal protein metabolism during pregnancy and low infant birth weight and animal data demonstrate a relationship between altered maternal protein metabolism and increased risk for offspring cardiovascular abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this study were to: characterize post-absorptive maternal leucine kinetics during late pregnancy andexamine the relationships between maternal leucine kinetics and offspring birth weight and cardiac function.

DESIGN

Post-absorptive maternal leucine kinetics (evaluated by using stable isotope tracer methodology) in 16 HIV(+) women receiving cART and 14 HIV(-) US women during the 3^rd trimester of pregnancy were compared. Relationships between post-absorptive maternal leucine kinetics, cardiac function (echocardiography) and birth weight were statistically examined.

RESULTS

Maternal plasma leucine concentration (HIV(-): 82.8 ± 10.7 vs. HIV(+): 72.3 ± 13.5 μM, p=0.06) and leucine oxidation rate (HIV(-): 6.1 ± 1.6 vs. HIV(+): 4.9 ± 1.8 μmol/kgBW/min, p=0.03) were lower in HIV+ women compared to controls. Total leucine turnover rate, non-oxidative leucine disposal rate and post-absorptive maternal glucose and palmitate kinetics did not differ between groups. Left ventricular fractional shortening tended to be lower in children born to HIV(+) compared to controls (HIV(-): 42 ± 1 vs. HIV+: 36 ± 5 %, p=0.08) and associated with lower maternal plasma leucine concentration (r= 0.43, p=0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary results indicate that post-absorptive maternal leucine metabolism during late pregnancy is mildly altered in HIV+ US women taking cART. The clinical significance of maternal leucine metabolism on adverse infant outcomes is unclear and should be further explored in more expansive studies.