A low protein maternal diet during gestation has negative effects on male fertility markers in rats - A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Maternal malnutrition associated with postnatal sugar consumption increases inflammatory response and prostate disorders in rat offspring

Maternal malnutrition can alter developmental biology, programming health and disease in offspring. The increase in sugar consumption during the peripubertal period, a worldwide concern, also affects health through adulthood. Studies have shown that maternal exposure to a low protein diet (LPD) is associated with an increase in prostate disease with aging. However, the combined effects of maternal LPD and early postnatal sugar consumption on offspring prostate disorders were not investigated. The effects on aging were evaluated using a maternal gestational model with lactational LPD (6% protein) and sugar consumption (10%) from postnatal day (PND) 21-90, associating the consequences on ventral prostate (VP) rats morphophysiology on PND540. An increase was shown in mast cells and in the VP of the CTR + SUG and Gestational and Lactational Low Protein (GLLP) groups. In GLLP + SUG, a significant increase was shown in TGF-β1 expression in both the systemic and intra-prostatic forms, and SMAD2/3p had increased. The study identified maternal LPD and sugar consumption as risk factors for prostatic homeostasis in senility, activating the TGFβ1-SMAD2/3 pathway, a signaling pathway with potential markers for prostatic disorders.

Sex differences in fetal kidney reprogramming: the case in the renin-angiotensin system

During the early stages of the development of the living multiorgan systems, genome modifications other than sequence variation occur that guide cell differentiation and organogenesis. These modifications are known to operate as a fetal programming code during this period, and recent research indicates that there are some tissue-specific codes in organogenesis whose effects may persist after birth until adulthood. Consequently, the events that disrupt the pre-established epigenetic pattern could induce shifts in organ physiology, with implications on health from birth or later in adult life. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the main causes of mortality worldwide; its etiology is multifactorial, but diabetes, obesity, and hypertension are the main causes of CKD in adults, although there are other risk factors that are mainly associated with an individual's lifestyle. Recent studies suggest that fetal reprogramming in the developing kidney could be implicated in the susceptibility to kidney disease in both childhood and adulthood. Some epigenetic modifications, such as genome methylation status, dysregulation of miRNA, and histone coding alterations in genes related to the regulation of the renin-angiotensin axis, a common denominator in CKD, may have originated during fetal development. This review focuses on epigenetic changes during nephrogenesis and their repercussions on kidney health and disease. In addition, the focus is on the influence of environmental factors during pregnancy, such as maternal metabolic diseases and dietary and metabolic conditions, as well as some sex differences in fetal kidney reprogramming during which dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin system is involved.

Cumulative Risk Evaluation of Phthalates Under TSCA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently conducting separate Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluations for seven phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and diisononyl phthalate (DINP). Phthalates are highly abundant plastic additives used primarily to soften materials and make them flexible, and biomonitoring shows widespread human exposure to a mixture of phthalates. Evidence supports biological additivity of phthalate mixture exposures, including the enhancement of toxicity affecting common biological targets. Risk estimates based on individual phthalate exposure may not be protective of public health. Thus, a cumulative risk approach is warranted. While EPA initially did not signal that it would incorporate cumulative risk assessment (CRA) as part of its current risk evaluation for the seven phthalates, the agency recently announced that it is reconsidering if CRA for phthalates would be appropriate. Based on our review of existing chemical mixtures risk assessment guidance, current TSCA scoping documents for the seven phthalates, and pertinent peer-reviewed literature, we delineate a CRA approach that EPA can easily implement for phthalates. The strategy for using CRA to inform TSCA risk evaluation for existing chemicals is based upon integrative physiology and a common adverse health outcome algorithm for identifying and grouping relevant nonchemical and chemical stressors. We recommend adjustments for how hazard indices (HIs) or margins of exposure (MOEs) based on CRA are interpreted for determining "unreasonable risk" under TSCA.

Developmental origins of adult diseases

The occurrence and mechanisms of developmental adult diseases have gradually attracted attention in recent years. Exposure of gametes and embryos to adverse environments, especially during plastic development, can alter the expression of certain tissue-specific genes, leading to increased susceptibility to certain diseases in adulthood, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric, and reproductive system diseases, etc. The occurrence of chronic disease in adulthood is partly due to genetic factors, and the remaining risk is partly due to environmental-dependent epigenetic information alteration, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs. Changes in this epigenetic information potentially damage our health, which has also been supported by numerous epidemiological and animal studies in recent years. Environmental factors functionally affect embryo development through epimutation, transmitting diseases to offspring and even later generations. This review mainly elaborated on the concept of developmental origins of adult diseases, and revealed the epigenetic mechanisms underlying these events, discussed the theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of related diseases.

Maternal low protein diet and fetal programming of lean type 2 diabetes

Maternal nutrition is found to be the key factor that determines fetal health in utero and metabolic health during adulthood. Metabolic diseases have been primarily attributed to impaired maternal nutrition during pregnancy, and impaired nutrition has been an immense issue across the globe. In recent years, type 2 diabetes (T2D) has reached epidemic proportion and is a severe public health problem in many countries. Although plenty of research has already been conducted to tackle T2D which is associated with obesity, little is known regarding the etiology and pathophysiology of lean T2D, a variant of T2D. Recent studies have focused on the effects of epigenetic variation on the contribution of in utero origins of lean T2D, although other mechanisms might also contribute to the pathology. Observational studies in humans and experiments in animals strongly suggest an association between maternal low protein diet and lean T2D phenotype. In addition, clear sex-specific disease prevalence was observed in different studies. Consequently, more research is essential for the understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of lean T2D, which might help to develop better disease prevention and treatment strategies. This review examines the role of protein insufficiency in the maternal diet as the central driver of the developmental programming of lean T2D.