title: Obese father's metabolic state, adiposity, and reproductive capacity indicate son's reproductive health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether dietary and exercise regimes in obese males can provide a novel intervention window for improving the reproductive health of the next generation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental animal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University research facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  C57BL6 male and female mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were fed a control diet (6% fat) or high-fat diet (21% fat) for 9 weeks. After the initial feeding, high-fat-diet males were allocated to diet and/or exercise interventions for a further 9 weeks. After intervention males were mated with females fed standard chow (4% fat) before and during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  F1 sperm motility, count, morphology, capacitation, mitochondrial function, and sperm binding and weight of reproductive organs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our primary finding was that diet intervention alone in founders improved offspring sperm motility and mitochondrial markers of sperm health (decreased reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential), ultimately improving sperm binding. Sperm binding and capacitation was also improved in F1 males born to a combined diet and exercise intervention in founders. Founder sperm parameters and metabolic measures as a response to diet and/or exercise (i.e., lipid/glucose homeostasis, sperm count and morphology) correlated with offspring's sperm function, independent of founder treatment. This implicates paternal metabolic and reproductive status in predicting male offspring's reproductive function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to show that improvements to both metabolic (lipids, glucose and insulin sensitivity) and reproductive function (sperm motility and morphology) in obese fathers via diet and exercise interventions can improve subsequent reproductive health in offspring.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, Robinson Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: nicole.mcpherson@adelaide.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nicole O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, Robinson Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Tod
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fullston
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Repromed, Dulwich, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Hassan W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Bakos
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Setchell
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, Robinson Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Repromed, Dulwich, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lane
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose
keywords: Transgenerational; diet and/or exercise; interventions; obesity; sperm