Epigenetic disruption of placental genes by chronic maternal cafeteria diet in rats.

ROSSETTI, MF; GASTIAZORO MP; SCHUMACHER R; STOKER C; DURANDO M; ZIERAU, OLIVER; RAMOS JG; VARAYOUD J

JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022

0955-2863

Cafeteria (CAF) diet is an animal model which reflects western diet habits. Our aims were to assess 1) the effects of CAF diet on female reproductive performance, fetal and placental parameters on gestational day 21 (GD21) and litter size and pup weight at birth; and 2) placental expression of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) along with the underlying epigenetic mechanisms. Female Wistar rats were fed a control (CON) or CAF diet from weaning until parturition. At week 14 after diets started, females were mated and half of the animals were euthanized to evaluate reproductive parameters including the pregnancy rate, number of corpora lutea, implantation sites and resorption sites. Moreover, fetal weight and length, placental weight and placental index were recorded. Placentas were collected for mRNA quantification and DNA methylation analysis of IGF1, IGF1 receptor (R), IGF2, IGF2R, VEGF and VEGFR genes and their promoter regions. The remaining animals were allowed to give birth and the number and weight of the pups were evaluated.CAF diet did not affect reproductive performance or fetal weight and length. However, CAF-fed animals showed a decrease in placental weight and index and the pups exhibited a low birth weight. Additionally, we found an upregulation of IGF2 and a down regulation of VEGF placental mRNA expression in CAF dams, associated with methylation status changes of their promoters. We conclude that female chronic CAF diet consumption impairs feto-placental development and could be explained by an epigenetic disruption of IGF and VEGF systems.