PPAR ligands regulate lipid content, metabolism and composition in fetal lungs of diabetic rats

KURTZ M; CAPOBIANCO E; CAREAGA VP; MARTÍNEZ N; MAZZUCCO MB; MAIER M; JAWERBAUM A

JOURNAL OF ENDOCRINOLOGY

BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD

Lugar: Bristol; Año: 2014 vol. 220 p. 345 - 359

0022-0795

Maternal diabetes impairs fetal lung development. PPARs are ligand-activated transcription factors relevant in lipid homeostasis and lung development. Aiming to evaluate the effect of in vivo PPARs activation on lipid homeostasis in fetal lungs of diabetic rats, we studied lipid concentrations, expression of lipid metabolizing enzymes and fatty acid composition in fetal lungs of control and diabetic rats a) after fetal injections with LTB4 or 15deoxydelta12,14PGJ2 (respective PPARα and PPARγ ligands) and b) fed during pregnancy with 6% olive or 6% safflower oil-supplemented diets, enriched in PPAR ligands. Maternal diabetes increased triglyceride concentrations and decreased expression of lipid oxidizing enzymes in fetal lungs from diabetic rats, an expression further decreased by LTB4 and partially restored by 15deoxydelta12,14PGJ2 in lungs from male fetuses in the diabetic group. In lungs from female fetuses in the diabetic group, maternal diets enriched in olive oil increased triglyceride concentrations and fatty acid synthase expression, while those enriched in safflower oil increased triglyceride concentrations and fatty acid transporter expression. Both olive and safflower oil-supplemented diets decreased cholesterol and cholesteryl ester concentrations and increased the expression of the reverse cholesterol transporter ABCA1 in fetal lungs from female fetuses of diabetic rats. In fetal lungs from control and diabetic rats, the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids increased with the maternal diets enriched in olive and safflower oils. Our results revealed important changes in lipid metabolism in fetal lungs from diabetic rats, and PPAR ligands ability to modulate the composition of lipid species relevant in the lung in the perinatal period.