title: Early onset of fatty liver in growth-restricted rat fetuses and newborns.
abstract: Intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) newborns have increased risk of adult metabolic syndrome, including fatty liver. However, it is unclear whether the fatty liver development is "programmed" or secondary to the accompanying obesity. In this study, we examined hepatic lipid accumulation and lipid-regulatory factors (sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c and fatty acid synthase) in IUGR and Control fetal (embryonic day 20; e20) and newborn (postnatal day 1; p1) rat pups. Notably, despite of in utero undernutrition state, IUGR fetuses demonstrated "fatty liver" with upregulation of these lipogenic indices at as early as e20. Both IUGR and Control newborns exhibited the same extent of massive increase in hepatic lipid content, whereas IUGR newborns continued to exhibit upregulated lipogenic indices. The persistent upregulation of the lipogenic indices in fetal and newborn IUGR suggests that fatty liver is gestationally programmed. Our study suggested that IUGR offspring were born with an altered metabolic life strategy of increased fuel/lipid storage which could be a distinct metabolic pathway of the thrifty phenotype.
authors: Perinatal Research Laboratories, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, USA.
authors: Makiko
authors: M
authors: Yamada
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: Wolfe
authors: Guang
authors: G
authors: Han
authors: Samuel W
authors: SW
authors: French
authors: Michael G
authors: MG
authors: Ross
authors: Mina
authors: M
authors: Desai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism*; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015854:Up-Regulation