Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Xiaohua Huang, Yong Zhuo, Dandan Jiang, Yingguo Zhu, Zhengfeng Fang, Lianqiang Che, Yan Lin, Shengyu Xu, Lun Hua, Yuanfeng Zou, Chao Huang, Lixia Li, De Wu, Bin Feng
Summary: Maternal low-protein diet during puberty and adulthood may disrupt metabolic gene expression in the liver of offspring and exacerbate insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in offspring fed a high-fat diet.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sin-Yu Chen, Yi-Zhen Chen, Yi-Jing Lee, Chung-Lin Jiang, Shao-Chun Lu, Fu-Jung Lin
Summary: Maternal hypercholesterolemia exacerbates atherosclerosis in offspring by altering macrophage development and polarization, contributing to increased macrophage burden within lesions. This study highlights the importance of epigenetic modifications in the offspring's macrophage genome as a potential mechanism for the inheritance of cardiovascular disease susceptibility from hypercholesterolemic mothers.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
V. S. Jayalekshmi, Surya Ramachandran
Summary: This article discusses the potential impact of maternal hypercholesterolemia during pregnancy on fetal development and its associations with heart diseases, gestational diabetes, obesity, and other comorbidities.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Beguem Harmancioglu, Seray Kabaran
Summary: Maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy is associated with excessive weight gain and fetal fat mass increase. It also leads to increased activation of proinflammatory cytokines. Maternal insulin resistance and inflammation contribute to increased adipose tissue lipolysis, resulting in elevated levels of free fatty acids in the fetus (>35% of energy from fat).
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Review
Developmental Biology
Avery C. Kramer, Thomas Jansson, Tracy L. Bale, Theresa L. Powell
Summary: Altered placental function may mediate the link between the maternal environment and fetal growth and development, through nutrient sensing, modulation of transporters, and changes in extracellular vesicles. Maternal diet and stress can also influence fetal development and metabolism, and fetal growth restriction may increase the risk of chronic disease later in life.
Article
Immunology
A. J. Mitchell, Seva G. Khambadkone, Geoffrey Dunn, Jennifer Bagley, Kellie L. K. Tamashiro, Damien Fair, Hanna Gustafsson, Elinor L. Sullivan
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that there is an association between maternal obesity and offspring behavioral outcomes. This study specifically focuses on the relationship between maternal Western-Style Diet (mWSD) exposure and offspring social behavior in non-human primates. The findings suggest that offspring exposed to mWSD exhibit behavioral phenotypes similar to those seen in some early-emerging neurodevelopmental disorders.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Tamara Saez, Abbey Pagee, Raven Kirschenman, Anita Quon, Floor Spaans, Sandra T. Davidge
Summary: This study found that gestational dyslipidemia affects postpartum vascular health and induces early signs of atherosclerosis. A high cholesterol diet during pregnancy increases postpartum serum cholesterol levels and impairs vascular function. These results support the hypothesis that gestational dyslipidemia impacts maternal vascular function after pregnancy, potentially increasing the risk for future cardiovascular complications.
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Saida Breuer, Philipp Kasper, Christina Vohlen, Ruth Janoschek, Thorben Hoffmann, Sarah Appel, Elena Mueller-Limberger, Andrea Mesaros, Stefan Rose-John, Christoph Garbers, Stefan Mueller, Jan-Wilm Lackmann, Esther Mahabir, Joerg Doetsch, Eva Hucklenbruch-Rother, Inga Bae-Gartz
Summary: Maternal obesity affects offspring's body weight and epigonadal white adipose tissue metabolism, predominantly independent of IL-6tS inhibition as shown in a transgenic mouse model. This highlights the importance of maternal and newborn nutrition for long-term offspring health.
Review
Developmental Biology
Lawrence P. Reynolds, Wellison J. S. Diniz, Matthew S. Crouse, Joel S. Caton, Carl R. Dahlen, Pawel P. Borowicz, Alison K. Ward
Summary: Developmental programming refers to the long-term changes in gene expression caused by stressors during development, which can affect organ structure and function. Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in the developmental program. Future research should focus on the effects of developmental programming on the offspring's life course and subsequent generations, as well as utilizing the positive aspects of developmental programming.
REPRODUCTION FERTILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Sandra Villagomez-Estrada, Jose F. Perez, Sandra van Kuijk, Diego Melo-Duran, Asal Forouzandeh, Francesc Gonzalez-Sole, Matilde D'Angelo, Francisco J. Perez-Cano, David Sola-Oriol
Summary: The study shows that partially replacing inorganic mineral sources with organic counterparts can improve neonate piglet gene expression, particularly in the smallest piglets of the litter, under commercial conditions.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Elena Fauste, Cristina Donis, Madelin Perez-Armas, Lourdes Rodriguez, Silvia Rodrigo, Juan J. Alvarez-Millan, Paola Otero, Maria Panadero, Carlos Bocos
Summary: Consumption of fructose-rich beverages and foods is associated with the increase in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. The severity of COVID-19 is related to these metabolic diseases. Fructose-rich foods may increase the risk of severe COVID-19. A study investigated the impact of maternal fructose intake on the gene expression of proteins that allow SARS-CoV2 entry in offspring. Pregnant rats were given carbohydrates in their drinking water. The study focused on adult and young male descendants who were given water, liquid fructose alone, or fructose as part of a Western diet. The results showed that maternal fructose intake reduced the expression of SARS-CoV2 entry factors in the liver of older offspring but increased the expression of viral entry factors in the small intestine of young descendants exposed to a Western diet.
JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yang Liu, Qiyue Ding, Steven J. Halderson, Sebastian I. Arriola Apelo, Amanda K. Jones, Sambhu M. Pillai, Maria L. Hoffman, Sarah Reed, Kristen E. Govoni, Steven A. Zinn, Wei Guo
Summary: Overfeeding during gestation can have long-lasting effects on offspring autophagy signaling, especially in later developmental stages and female offspring. Targeting autophagy pathways may be a strategy to mitigate the adverse effects in offspring of over-fed ewes.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Brian Akhaphong, Brigid Gregg, Doga Kumusoglu, Seokwon Jo, Kanakadurga Singer, Joshua Scheys, Jennifer DelProposto, Carey Lumeng, Ernesto Bernal-Mizrachi, Emilyn U. Alejandro
Summary: Maternal high-fat diet before and during pregnancy may predispose female offspring to insulin resistance in adulthood.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Maria Luisa Ojeda, Fatima Nogales, Ines Romero-Herrera, Olimpia Carreras
Summary: Nutrient intake of selenium by mothers during pregnancy and lactation can have a significant impact on infant tissue development. Low selenium supply may lead to oxidative stress affecting pregnancy and fetal development negatively, associated with metabolic imbalance and growth retardation in offspring.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriela de Pauli Meciano, Fernando Jose Schalch Junior, Guilherme Henrique Gebim Polizel, Aricia Christofaro Fernandes, Roberta Cavalcante Cracco, Arlindo Saran Netto, Rodrigo da Costa Gomes, Nara Regina Brandao Consolo, Miguel Henrique de Almeida Santana
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of gestational supplementation strategy on nitrogen isotopic signature in the blood plasma of beef cows and their progeny. The results showed that different supplementation strategies can influence the nutritional metabolism and isotopic fractionation of cows and calves after birth.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Juliana de Almeida-Faria, Daniella E. Duque-Guimaraes, Thomas P. Ong, Lucas C. Pantaleao, Asha A. Carpenter, Elena Loche, Laura C. Kusinski, Thomas J. Ashmore, Robin Antrobus, Martin Bushell, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: The study showed that programmed increase in miR-126-3p levels in adipose tissue may lead to adipocyte metabolism dysregulation, impacting glucose metabolism and potentially contributing to insulin resistance.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
D. Matthew Worssam, F. Helle Jorgensen
Summary: Vascular smooth muscle cells play major roles in pathological vascular remodelling, with clonal lineage tracing revealing that their contribution to disease results from hyperproliferation of a few pre-existing medial cells that can adopt diverse phenotypes. Studies have shown that VSMC-derived cells in vascular lesions have both beneficial and detrimental effects on disease severity. Computational analyses suggest that the pathway from healthy arteries to phenotypically distinct lesional cells consists of multiple, potentially regulatable, steps.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Abel Martin Garrido, Anuradha Kaistha, Anna K. Uryga, Sebnem Oc, Kirsty Foote, Aarti Shah, Alison Finigan, Nichola Figg, Lina Dobnikar, Helle Jorgensen, Martin Bennett
Summary: The study suggests that traditional markers of cell senescence, such as p16, have significant limitations in identifying and removing senescent cells in atherosclerosis. Research indicates that genetic and pharmacological senolysis have variable effects on atherosclerosis, and may promote inflammation and non-specific effects respectively. New senolytic drugs and studies on senescence in atherosclerosis may require more specific and lineage-restricted markers before attributing their effects entirely to senolysis.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Antonia Hufnagel, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Heather L. Blackmore, Thomas J. Ashmore, Robert A. Heaton, Benjamin Jenkins, Albert Koulman, Iain P. Hargreaves, Catherine E. Aiken, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus pose risks for both mother and child. While metformin can improve maternal metabolic health, its effects on fetus and placenta remain unclear. In a mouse model of obesity and glucose intolerance during pregnancy, metformin improved maternal health but did not fully reverse the negative impact on fetal growth and placental structure.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Lais Vales Mennitti, Asha A. M. Carpenter, Elena Loche, Lucas C. Pantaleao, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Josca M. Schoonejans, Heather L. Blackmore, Thomas J. Ashmore, Luciana Pellegrini Pisani, John A. Tadross, Iain Hargreaves, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: The study found that maternal diet-induced obesity has detrimental effects on offspring body composition and hepatic phenotype, potentially indicative of an accelerated-ageing phenotype.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Samuel Furse, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Jessica H. Beeson, Davide Chiarugi, Susan E. Ozanne, Albert Koulman
Summary: Background: Gestational diabetes increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in mothers for up to ten years after delivery. However, the molecular mechanisms driving these effects are still unknown. Our study suggests that lipid metabolism is also altered in obese mice before, during, and after pregnancy. Network analysis showed that lipid distribution and traffic do not return to normal after pregnancy in obese mouse dams. The study also found differences in lipid variables between lean and obese post-weaning dams. These findings support the hypothesis that dysregulated lipid metabolism in obese mothers with gestational diabetes may contribute to the increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
NUTRITION & DIABETES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Lucas C. Pantaleao, Isabella Inzani, Samuel Furse, Elena Loche, Antonia Hufnagel, Thomas Ashmore, Heather L. Blackmore, Benjamin Jenkins, Asha A. M. Carpenter, Ania Wilczynska, Martin Bushell, Albert Koulman, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: Maternal obesity during pregnancy has immediate and long-term detrimental effects on the offspring heart. This study investigated the changes in lipid profiles and fatty acid metabolism in the hearts and blood of obese pregnant mice fetuses. The results showed that maternal obesity affects the lipid composition in both maternal and fetal blood, with female fetuses being more sensitive to these changes. Furthermore, alterations in lipid supply may contribute to the early expression of lipolytic genes in hearts exposed to maternal obesity.
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Vincenzo Tufaro, Patrick Washington Serruys, Lorenz Raber, Martin Richard Bennett, Ryo Torii, Sophie Zhaotao Gu, Yoshinobu Onuma, Anthony Mathur, Andreas Baumbach, Christos Vasileios Bourantas
Summary: Intravascular imaging plays an important role in assessing the effectiveness of drug therapies targeting atherosclerosis. Serial intravascular ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, or near-infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound studies allow for evaluation of the impact of different treatments on plaque burden and morphology. However, established intravascular imaging surrogate endpoints have limited efficacy in predicting the prognostic value of these therapies, necessitating the development of alternative imaging endpoints based on multimodality/hybrid intravascular imaging.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Antonia Hufnagel, Laura Dearden, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: Obesity and gestational diabetes during pregnancy can have both short-term and long-term consequences for both mother and child. One common feature of these conditions is maternal hyperinsulinaemia, which can affect placental growth, angiogenesis, and lipid metabolism. The fetus is exposed to high levels of glucose due to maternal hyperglycaemia, leading to fetal hyperglycaemia/hyperinsulinaemia and complications in fetal development. These changes may increase the risk of cardiometabolic diseases in the offspring later in life. This review summarizes the impact of maternal and fetal hyperinsulinaemia on various aspects and discusses interventions to alleviate these effects.
JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mandy O. J. Grootaert, Martin R. Bennett
Summary: This review examines the crucial role of Sirtuins in cellular function and organism healthspan, with a focus on their role in atherosclerosis. The advances in the development of compounds that activate or inhibit Sirtuin activity are summarized, and the therapeutic potential of these agents is critically evaluated.
NATURE REVIEWS CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Muhammad Aetesam-ur-Rahman, Tian X. Zhao, Kitty Paques, Joana Oliveira, Bharat Khialani, Stephen Kyranis, Denise M. Braganza, Sarah C. Clarke, Martin R. Bennett, Nick E. J. West, Stephen P. Hoole
Summary: Whole cycle NHPRs demonstrate better reproducibility and clinical precision post-PCI than diastolic NHPRs, possibly because of less perturbation from predominantly diastolic reactive hyperemia and left ventricular stunning.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ifigeneia Giakoumaki, Natalie Pollock, Turki Aljuaid, Anthony J. Sannicandro, Moussira Alameddine, Euan Owen, Ioanna Myrtziou, Susan E. Ozanne, Ioannis Kanakis, Katarzyna Goljanek-Whysall, Aphrodite Vasilaki
Summary: Sarcopenia is characterized by a decrease in muscle fibers and weakening of remaining fibers, resulting in reduced muscle mass and function. This study found that low-protein diet during pregnancy and early postnatal low-protein intake in mice can impact skeletal muscle physiology and favor bone integrity in adulthood.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Josca M. Schoonejans, Heather L. Blackmore, Thomas J. Ashmore, Lucas C. Pantaleao, Luciana Pellegrini Pisani, Laura Dearden, John A. Tadross, Catherine E. Aiken, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: In this study using a mouse model, the effects of maternal metformin intervention during obese glucose-intolerant pregnancy on offspring adiposity, hepatic steatosis, and metabolic health were investigated. The results showed that maternal metformin treatment increased offspring metabolic risk factors in a sex- and age-dependent manner. These findings emphasize the importance of following up offspring of both sexes beyond early adulthood after interventions during pregnancy and the complexity of balancing short-term benefits to mother and child vs long-term metabolic effects on the offspring.
Review
Cell Biology
Matthew Batty, Martin R. Bennett, Emma Yu
Summary: Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases globally, and excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to oxidative stress is a major risk factor for its development and progression. While ROS are important for maintaining vascular health, they can also activate pro-atherogenic processes. Enzymatic sources of vascular ROS include NADPH oxidases, xanthine oxidase, etc., and antioxidant systems play a role in balancing ROS production. Changes in ROS sources and antioxidants have been observed in human atherosclerosis, and animal models have provided mechanistic insight. However, clinical trials have not yet demonstrated atheroprotective effects of antioxidant molecules.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ionel Sandovici, Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Antonia Hufnagel, Miguel Constancia, Susan E. Ozanne
Summary: Early-life exposures can affect long-term metabolic health, and male and female fetuses have different responses to these exposures, which may contribute to sex differences in metabolic health in adulthood.