Maternal and postweaning diet interaction alters hypothalamic gene expression and modulates response to a high-fat diet in male offspring.

Epidemiological data and results from animal studies indicate that imbalances in maternal nutrition impact the expression of metabolic disorders in the offspring. We tested the hypothesis that consumption of excess saturated fats during pregnancy and lactation contributes to adult metabolic dysfunction and that these disturbances can be further influenced by the postweaning diet. Adult male offspring from chow-fed dams were compared with males from dams fed a diet high in saturated fat (45 kcal/100 kcal) before mating, pregnancy, and lactation. Offspring were weaned to a standard chow diet or high fat diet. Animals were killed at 120 days after a 24-h fast. Body weight, energy intake, fat deposition, serum leptin, and insulin were significantly higher in offspring from control or high-fat dams if fed a high-fat diet from weaning to adulthood. Only fat-fed offspring from fat-fed dams were hyperglycemic. Leptin receptor, proopiomelanocortin, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were also significantly increased in offspring exposed to excess saturated fat during gestation and into adulthood, whereas NPY(1) receptor was downregulated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 mRNA level was significantly higher in offspring from high-fat-fed dams compared with controls; however, no change was detected in cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript or suppressor of cytokine signaling 3. An increase in agouti-related protein expression did not reach significance. A significant reduction in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit (p85alpha) coupled to an upregulation of protein kinase B was observed in offspring from high-fat-fed dams transitioned to chow food, whereas p85alpha expression was significantly increased in high-fat offspring weaned to the high-fat diet. These data support the hypothesis that early life exposure to excess fat is associated with changes in hypothalamic regulation of body weight and energy homeostasis and that postweaning diet influences development of metabolic dysfunction and obesity.