The effect of maternal green tea extract consumption, by rats, during pregnancy and lactation: role of microRNAs associated with metabolic disorders in the of adult offspring treated with high fat diet

Abstract

Studies demonstrate that maternal nutritional alterations influence fetal growth and development, thus modifying the risk of developing some metabolic alterations in adult life. The green tea is a nutraceutical that play an antioxidant role, protect of cardiovascular diseases, reduces body fat and improves insulin sensitivity due to its biological active components. In the last years the research showed the role of non-coding RNAs on the regulation of metabolism, among them, miRNAs that are regulated by multiple factors and modulate the expression of target mRNAs by different mechanisms. Thus, the present project aims to elucidate the role of miRNA on the target proteins involved in the inflammatory pathway and the insulin signaling pathway in the adult offspring of mothers who consumed green tea extract during pregnancy and lactation, without inducing injury, associated with the consumption of high fat diet by offspring, for 10 weeks after lactation. For this, in first day of pregnancy, the female rats will be divided into the group receive green tea extract or receive water, during pregnancy and lactation. After the last day of weaning the offspring will be divided in four groups: CA - offspring of mothers that received water and control diet and continue received control diet and water; HA - offspring of mothers that received control diet and water and started receiving high fat diet and water; CE - offspring of mothers that received control diet and green tea extract and started to receive control diet and water; and HE - offspring of mothers that received control diet and green tea extract and started receiving high fat diet and water. Then, the adipocytes of retroperitoneal, mesenteric and gonadal adipose tissues will be isolated for miRNA, proteomic and Western Blotting analysis.Key words: Green tea, pregnancy/lactation, adipose tissue, microRNA, rat.