EPIGENETIC PROFILE AND MITOCHONDRIAL PHENOTYPE OF THE 21-DAY-OLD OFFSPRING FROM OBESE DAMS FED WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF FATTY ACIDS DURING PREGNANCY AND LACTATION

Abstract

Global incidence of obesity and its associated diseases has been increasing dramatically in recent decades, including among women of reproductive age. Maternal nutritional status and dietary patterns have been strongly associated with the risk for the development of metabolic disorders in the offspring throughout life, likely due to the foetal programming and epigenetic regulation. In this sense, the present proposal aims to investigate the expression of miR-34a, the epigenetic profile, the mitochondrial phenotype and the thermogenesis of the 21-day-old offspring from pre-gestational obesity dams fed with different types of fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation. For this, we will evaluate in the male 21-day-old offspring: Body weight evolution; Length; Sum of white adipose tissues; Relative weight of the liver, brown adipose tissue and white adipose tissues; Serum concentrations of triacylglycerol, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and free fatty acids; Hepatic triacylglycerol content; Expression of miR-34a; Global DNA methylation; Activity of the HDAC enzyme; Protein expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a, DNMT3b, MeCP2, OXPHOS, p-AMPK, SIRT1, PGC-1± and UCP-1; Content of IL-6, TNF-± and IL-10; and mitochondrial DNA content. In general, we suppose that maternal consumption of balanced diets that reach nutritional recommendations for this phase of life, is a determinant factor for the attenuation of the effects caused by pre-gestational obesity in the metabolic and epigenetic status of the offspring throughout life.