Maternal dietary intake of different lipid sources during pregnancy and lactation predispose the offspring to metabolic changes and altered liver mitochondrial bioenergetics in adult life
Authors: de Velasco Patricia Coelho , Chicaybam Gustavo , Ramos Dionizio , dos Santos Raisa , El‐Bacha Tatiana , Galina Antonio , Tavares‐do‐Carmo Maria das Graças 
Published: November 2023

Lipid quality of the maternal diet can program the offspring to diseases in adulthood. Knowledgement of the harmful effects of trans‐fat, food industry have been used Palm oil and/or Interesterified fat as substitutes, although its effects on health are unclear. We investigated whether maternal intake of normolipidic diets with distinct fatty acid (FA) induces metabolic changes in the offspring in adult life, evaluating plasma glucose and triglycerides levels and also liver fatty acids profile and mitochondrial respiration as well as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. C57BL/6 female mice received, during pregnancy and lactation, isocaloric diets with equal amounts of different fats: partially hydrogenated vegetable fat rich in trans‐fat acids (TG), palm oil (PG) or interesterified fat (IG) and soybean oil as control group (CG). After weaning (21 days of life), male offspring (n=6–8) from all groups received the control diet until adult life (110 days). Plasma glucose and triglycerides levels were determined by enzymatic kits (BIOCLIN). Liver FA profile was measured by gas chromatography. We used high‐resolution respirometry (Oroboros Instruments®) in samples of isolated liver mitochondria to evaluate several parameters of oxygen (O2) consumption following addition of respiratory substrates for Complex I (pyruvate/malate/glutamate ‐ PMG) or Complex II (succinate ‐ SUCC). The mitochondrial release of H2O2 was determined by the Amplex Red® oxidation method. The offspring from IG had levels of plasma glucose increased by 1.23 fold in relation to CG. Triglycerides levels were 1.88 fold in the TG and 1.94 fold higher in the IG group. Liver FA profile did not differ among groups in total saturated fatty acids (∑ SFA). However, TG, PG and IG showed decreased levels of total monounsaturated fatty acids (∑ MUFA). The total sum of polyunsaturated fatty acids (∑ PUFA) revealed a reduction in TG and IG. The oxygen consumption rates in the presence of PMG indicated that TG exhibited significantly lowest rates of O2 consumption of all respiratory parameters studied, with significant differences after ADP and FCCP addition. Moreover, the O2 flux after succinate addition was the lowest rate of oxygen consumption in TG with significant values after FCCP. Under basal conditions, TG presented decreased rates of H2O2 production and this condition remains after sequential additions of substrates. PG and IG groups exhibited a slightly increase, but they were not significant in H2O2 production in basal conditions. Also, similar rates in H2O2 were seen in PG and IG groups in relation to CG after complex I activation. However, the data indicated that H2O2 rates were significantly different only in the IG after the addition of succinate, increasing 1.4 fold when compared to CG. Maternal intake of trans‐fat or its substitutes predisposed the offspring to metabolic changes and altered liver mitochondrial bioenergetics in adult life.

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Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES/PNPD) and Carlos Chagas Filho Research Support Foundation (FAPERJ)