Abstract
Although the deleterious influence of protein deficiency on fetal programming is well documented, the impact of a Western diet on epigenetic mechanisms is less clear. We hypothesized that high-fat high-sucrose diet (HFHSD) consumption during pregnancy leads to epigenetic modifications within the progeny’s compensatory renin–angiotensin system (RAS), affecting autonomic and metabolic functions. Dams were fed HFHSD (45% fat and 30% sucrose) or regular chow (RD) from mating until weaning of the pups (~7 weeks). Offspring from both groups were then maintained on chow and studied in adulthood (3–7 months). Offspring from HFHSD-exposed dams (OH) exhibited no difference in body weight or fasting blood glucose compared to controls (OR). In 3-month-old offspring, DNA methylation was significantly lower for the ACE2 gene (P < 0.05) in the brainstem, kidney and cecum. Moreover, ACE2 activity in the hypothalamus was increased at 7 months (OH: 91 ± 1 vs. OR: 74 ± 4 AFU/mg/min, P < 0.05). Although baseline blood pressure was not different between groups, vagal tone in OH was significantly impaired compared to OR. At the same time, OH offspring had a 1.7-fold increase in AT1a receptor expression and a 1.3-fold increase in ADAM17 mRNA. DOCA-salt treatment further revealed and exacerbated hypertensive response in the OH progeny (OH: 130 ± 6 vs. OR: 108 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05). Taken together, our data suggest that perinatal exposure to HFHSD resulted in epigenetic modifications of the compensatory brain RAS, potentially affecting plasticity of neuronal networks leading to autonomic dysfunction in the male offspring.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr. Weining Tang (Omega Bio-tek, Norcross, GA) for providing technical expertise regarding the design of the methylation array.
Funding
This work was supported by an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association (12EIA8030004 to E.L.), the National Center for Research Resources (RR018766), and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM103514 and GM106392).
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Mukerjee, S., Zhu, Y., Zsombok, A. et al. Perinatal Exposure to Western Diet Programs Autonomic Dysfunction in the Male Offspring. Cell Mol Neurobiol 38, 233–242 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-017-0502-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-017-0502-4