Changes of Phospholipids in Fetal Liver of Mice Conceived by In Vitro Fertilization

Environmental influences during early development increase the susceptibility to metabolism diseases in adulthood. Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) expose the gametes or preimplantation embryo to a nonphysiological environment that increases the risk of metabolism diseases in later life. However, the precise underlying causes of ART-related metabolism disease remain unclear. In our previous study, by using a mouse model, we found that ART resulted in placental maldevelopment and dysfunction that led to reduced fetal growth. The lipid metabolism and lipid transporters in the placenta were also affected by ART. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that ART may hamper fetal lipid metabolism, which could predispose to metabolic diseases in later life. In the present examination, by lipidomic analysis, we investigated for the first time the effect of ART on phospholipid profiles in the fetal liver in a mouse model and presented it in a detailed overview. We revealed that ART increased significantly the level of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), phosphatidic acid (PA), and lysophosphatidylethanolamine in the livers of fetuses compared with those in the controls. LPC and PA acts as signaling molecules involved in the majority of cellular processes regulating many crucial physiological and pathophysiological processes. LPC has been shown to play a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes, and an increase in PA can result in insulin resistance. We proposed that changes of LPC and PA may be one of the causes of the changes in glucose metabolism and vascular dysfunction in the mouse model of ART.