Gestational exercise protects adult male offspring from high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis.
OBJECTIVE
Mounting evidence indicates that maternal exercise confers protection to adult offspring against various diseases. Here we hypothesized that maternal exercise during gestation would reduce high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis in adult rat offspring.


METHODS
Following conception, pregnant dams were divided into either voluntary wheel running exercise (GE) or wheel-locked sedentary (GS) groups throughout gestation (days 4-21). Post-weaning, offspring received either normal chow diet (CD; 10% fat, 70% carbohydrate, 20% protein) or HFD (45% fat, 35% carbohydrate, and 20% protein) until sacrificed at 4- or 8-months of age.


RESULTS
GE did not affect offspring birth weight or litter size. HFD feeding in offspring increased weight gain, body fat percentage, and glucose tolerance test area under the curve (GTT-AUC). Male offspring from GE dams had reduced body fat percentage across all ages (p<0.05). In addition, 8-month male offspring from GE dams were protected against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, which was associated with increased markers of hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC-1α and TFAM), autophagic potential (ATG12:ATG5 conjugation) and hepatic triacylglycerol secretion (MTTP).


CONCLUSIONS
The current study provides the first evidence that gestational exercise can reduce susceptibility to HFD-induced hepatic steatosis in adult male offspring.
Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA; Research Service-Harry S Truman Memorial VA Hospital, Columbia, MO, USA.
Ryan D
RD
Sheldon
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
A
A
Nicole Blaize
Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA; Research Service-Harry S Truman Memorial VA Hospital, Columbia, MO, USA.
Justin A
JA
Fletcher
Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Kevin J
KJ
Pearson
Department of Nutrition, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Shawn S
SS
Donkin
Department of Kinesiology, California State - San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA.
Sean C
SC
Newcomer
Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA; Research Service-Harry S Truman Memorial VA Hospital, Columbia, MO, USA. Electronic address: rectors@health.missouri.edu.
R Scott
RS
Rector
D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; C501429:Ppargc1a protein, rat; D014157:Transcription Factors; C106092:microsomal triglyceride transfer protein
Fetal origins; NAFLD; Rat