Effects of a maternal high-fat diet on offspring behavioral and metabolic parameters in a rodent model.
Maternal diet-induced obesity can cause detrimental developmental origins of health and disease in offspring. Perinatal exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) can lead to later behavioral and metabolic disturbances, but it is not clear which behaviors and metabolic parameters are most vulnerable. To address this critical gap, biparental and monogamous oldfield mice (Peromyscus polionotus), which may better replicate most human societies, were used in the current study. About 2 weeks before breeding, adult females were placed on a control or HFD and maintained on the diets throughout gestation and lactation. F1 offspring were placed at weaning (30 days of age) on the control diet and spatial learning and memory, anxiety, exploratory, voluntary physical activity, and metabolic parameters were tested when they reached adulthood (90 days of age). Surprisingly, maternal HFD caused decreased latency in initial and reverse Barnes maze trials in male, but not female, offspring. Both male and female HFD-fed offspring showed increased anxiogenic behaviors, but decreased exploratory and voluntary physical activity. Moreover, HFD offspring demonstrated lower resting energy expenditure (EE) compared with controls. Accordingly, HFD offspring weighed more at adulthood than those from control fed dams, likely the result of reduced physical activity and EE. Current findings indicate a maternal HFD may increase obesity susceptibility in offspring due to prenatal programming resulting in reduced physical activity and EE later in life. Further work is needed to determine the underpinning neural and metabolic mechanisms by which a maternal HFD adversely affects neurobehavioral and metabolic pathways in offspring.
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
S A
SA
Johnson
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
A B
AB
Javurek
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
M S
MS
Painter
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
C R
CR
Murphy
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
C M
CM
Conard
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
K L
KL
Gant
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
E C
EC
Howald
3Agriculture Experimental Station-Statistics,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
M R
MR
Ellersieck
4Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology,College of Veterinary Medicine,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
C E
CE
Wiedmeyer
5Nutrition and Exercise Physiology,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
V J
VJ
Vieira-Potter
1Bond Life Sciences Center,University of Missouri,Columbia,MO,USA.
C S
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4137-3933
CS
Rosenfeld
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced*

               Peromyscus polionotus
            ; anxiety; cognition; developmental origins of health and disease; spatial learning