Placental and fetal metabolic alterations due to fat oveload in maternal diet

WHITE VERÓNICA; MAZZUCCO M BELÉN; JAWERBAUM ALICIA

Congreso; V SLIMP Latin American Symposium on Maternal Fetal Interaction and Placenta; 2013

Maternal metabolic alterations are transferred from the mother to the fetus. We evaluated a rat model treated with diets enriched in saturated fat (25%) and find that they are heavier and gain more weight during pregnancy than controls. They also develop insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and, consequently, hyperleptinemia. The excess of lipids are transferred to the fetus across the placenta and reach fetal circulation. Indeed, fetuses developed macrosomia, insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and hyperleptinemia and they have high levels of inflammatory and oxidative markers than controls. Moreover, these fetuses have fetal liver acccumulation of lipids. Fetal leptin, which is produced either by the placenta or the fetal liver is capable of regulating leptin receptor and lipoprotein lipase expression in placenta and fetal liver. Thus, in the rats treated with diets enriched in saturated fat, leptin could be enhancing maternal to fetus transport of lipids and lipid accumulation