Decreased birth weight due to life-long maternal cafeteria diet: ¿is feto-placental development affected?

LORENZ, V.; STOKER, C.; RAMOS, J.G; GASTIAZORO, M.P.; SCHUMACHER, R.; LUQUE, E.H; ROSSETTI, M.F; DURANDO, M.; VARAYOUD, J

Congreso; International Federation of Placenta Associations; 2019

Maternal overweight induced by life-long cafeteria diet (CAF) reduced the birth weight. We propose to study the effects on feto-placental development as a possible explanation of CAF-effects at birth. Some molecular mechanisms associated with feto-placental growth restriction are related with Insulin Like Growth Factor (IGF) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)-placental systems. Objective: our aim was to evaluate the life-long maternal CAF diet effects on: 1) fetal and placental growth on gestational day 21 (GD21), 2) IGF placental system: a) IGFI and IGFII and the respective receptors (IGFIR and IGFIIR) and 3) VEGF placental system: VEGF and one of its receptors VEGFR1.Methods: Twenty-one-day-old female Wistar rats were fed after weaning with a standard rodent chow diet (control) or CAF diet with highly palatable dense foods. On postnatal day 90, rats were mated. We determine the placental and fetal weight, and calculate the placental-fetal weight ratio. Total RNA from frozen placenta samples obtained on GD21 was extracted and subjected to real-time RT-PCR analysis. The relative expression of IGFI, IGFIR, IGFII, IGFIIR, VEGF and VEGFR1 was determined.Results: CAF diet produced a decrease of placental weight and placental-fetal weight ratio, without effects in fetal weight on GD21. We detected a decreased expression of both receptors of IGF system: IGFIR and IGFIIR in CAF-placental tissues. Besides, CAF diet produced a lower expression of placental VEGF expression without changes in its receptor, VEGFR1. Conclusion: We propose that the deregulation of IGF and VEGF system could disturbed the placental development inducing the decreased birth weight due to life-long maternal CAF diet.