Epigenetics and developmental programming of adult onset diseases

Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Hypertension Development Induced by Fructose Consumption

During the past several decades, there has been a dramatic increase in fructose consumption worldwide in parallel with epidemics of metabolic diseases. Accumulating evidence has suggested that excessive fructose consumption...

Effects of Prenatal Hypoxia on Nervous System Development and Related Diseases

The fetal origins of adult disease (FOAD) hypothesis, which was proposed by David Barker in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s, posited that adult chronic diseases originated from various adverse stimuli in early fetal development. FOAD is associated with a wide range of adult chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and autism. Intrauterine hypoxia/prenatal hypoxia is one of the most common complications of obstetrics and could lead to alterations in brain structure and function; therefore, it is strongly associated with neurological disorders such as cognitive impairment and anxiety. However, how fetal hypoxia results in neurological disorders remains unclear. According to the existing literature, we have summarized the causes of prenatal hypoxia, the effects of prenatal hypoxia on brain development and behavioral phenotypes, and the possible molecular mechanisms.

Association of exposure to deoxynivalenol with DNA methylation in white blood cells in children in China

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin that commonly contaminates cereals worldwide. Dietary exposure to DON is a subject of great public health concern, but studies on the health effects of chronic exposure to DON are not available. In this study, we investigated the connection between DNA methylation levels and DON exposure in children. The DNA methylation status of white blood cells from 32 children aged 2~15 years old in Henan, China, was profiled. A total of 378 differentially methylated CpGs were identified between the high and low DON exposure groups, and 8 KEGG pathways were found to be significantly enriched among the differentially methylated genes. In addition, the quantitative methylation of EIF2AK4, EMID2 and GNASAS was analysed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. The results showed that the methylation level of EIF2AK4 was significantly different between the two groups, and the methylation levels were associated with exposure to DON. Conclusively, our study found that chronic exposure to DON during childhood could affect DNA methylation levels.

Insights into the Mechanisms of Fetal Growth Restriction-Induced Programming of Hypertension

In recent decades, both clinical and animal studies have shown that fetal growth restriction (FGR), caused by exposure to adverse uterine environments, is a risk factor for hypertension as well as for a variety of adult diseases. This observation has shaped and informed the now widely accepted theory of developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). There is a plethora of evidence supporting the association of FGR with increased risk of adult hypertension; however, the underlying mechanisms responsible for this correlation remain unclear. This review aims to explain the current advances in the field of fetal programming of hypertension and a brief narration of the underlying mechanisms that may link FGR to increased risk of adult hypertension. We explain the theory of DOHaD and then provide evidence from both clinical and basic science research which support the theory of fetal programming of adult hypertension. In addition, we have explored the underlying mechanisms that may link FGR to an increased risk of adult hypertension. These mechanisms include epigenetic changes, metabolic disorders, vascular dysfunction, neurohormonal impairment, and alterations in renal physiology and function. We further describe sex differences seen in the developmental origins of hypertension and provide insights into the opportunities and challenges present in this field.

Low Birth Weight and Prematurity Are Associated with Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy in Later Life: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

OBJECTIVE

We previously reported that hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP) was a risk factor for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia in later life. Additionally, the age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of HDP was 2.72 for Japanese women whose mothers had a history of HDP versus those whose mothers did not. This study aimed to clarify the association of HDP with birth weight and gestational age.

STUDY DESIGN

A self-administered baseline survey of the Japanese Nurses' Health Study (JNHS) cohort was conducted from 2001 to 2007. Data on 17,278 parous female nurses who knew their own birth weights were extracted from the JNHS baseline survey (n = 49,927) and subjected to cross-sectional, retrospective analysis. Data on weeks of gestation, birth weight, and history of HDP were collected.

RESULTS

The age-adjusted ORs for HDP were 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-2.19) for birth weight <2,000 g, 1.24 (CI: 1.04-1.48) for 2,000 to 2,499 g, 1.11 (CI: 1.00-1.23) for 2,500 to 2,999 g, and 1.08 (CI: 0.94-1.24) for ≥3,500 g compared with 3,000 to 3,499 g. The age-adjusted ORs for HDP were 1.27 (95% CI: 1.04-1.54) for a gestational age < 37 weeks and 0.93 (0.70-1.23) for ≥42 weeks compared with 37-41 weeks. The age-adjusted OR of the birth weight score for HDP in later life was 0.98 (CI: 0.94-1.03; Cochran-Armitage trend test: z = 0.401, p = 0.688).

CONCLUSION

Among women in Japan, a history of low birth weight and prematurity are risk factors for HDP in later life. The risk of HDP among women born with low birth weight and/or premature deserves attention.

The Role of Early Programming and Early Nutrition on the Development and Progression of Celiac Disease: A Review

Experimental and epidemiological evidence has shown that modifications of the intrauterine environment can have deleterious consequences for individuals, expressed as an increased risk of suffering non-communicable pathologies in adult life, which is known as the hypothesis of the early origin of diseases or fetal programming. On the other hand, changes in gene expression patterns through epigenetic modifications can be the basis for long-term maintenance of the effects of fetal programming. In this sense, epigenetics comprises the study of intrauterine disturbances, which develop diseases in the adult, including celiac disease (CD). In addition, early feeding practices could influence the risk of CD development, such as breastfeeding timing and duration and age of gluten introduction in the diet. Gluten acts as a trigger for CD in genetically predisposed subjects, although approximately 30% of the world population has HLA DQ2 or DQ8, the prevalence of the disease is only 1–3%. It is not known what factors act to modify the risk of disease in genetically at-risk subjects. Taking into account all these considerations, the aim of the current review is to elucidate the role of early programming and the effect of early nutrition on the development and progression of CD. It is logical that attention has been paid to gluten as a key element in preventing the disease. However, there is no strong evidence in favor of the protective factor of breastfeeding, timing of introduction of gluten during lactation, and the development of CD. Diet, genetic risk, microbiota, and environmental interaction are possible triggers of the change in tolerance to an immune response to gluten, but large-scale cohort studies are needed. Emerging scientific concepts, such as epigenetics, may help us establish the role of these factors.

Programming mediated by fatty acids affects uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) in brown adipose tissue

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has recently been given more attention for the part it plays in obesity. BAT can generate great amounts of heat through thermogenesis by the activation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1), which can be regulated by many environmental factors such as diet. Moreover, the build-up of BAT relates to maternal nutritional changes during pregnancy and lactation. However, at present, there is a limited number of studies looking at maternal nutrition and BAT development, and it seems that the research trend in this field has been considerably declining since the 1980s. There is much to discover yet about the role of different fatty acids on the development of BAT and the activation of UCP-1 during the fetal and the postnatal periods of life. A better understanding of the impact of nutritional intervention on the epigenetic regulation of BAT could lead to new preventive care for metabolic diseases such as obesity. It is important to know in which circumstances lipids could programme BAT during pregnancy and lactation. The modification of maternal dietary fatty acids, amount and composition, during pregnancy and lactation might be a promising strategy for the prevention of obesity in the offspring and future generations.

Kidney cytosine methylation changes improve renal function decline estimation in patients with diabetic kidney disease

Epigenetic changes might provide the biological explanation for the long-lasting impact of metabolic alterations of diabetic kidney disease development. Here we examined cytosine methylation of human kidney tubules using Illumina Infinium 450 K arrays from 91 subjects with and without diabetes and varying degrees of kidney disease using a cross-sectional design. We identify cytosine methylation changes associated with kidney structural damage and build a model for kidney function decline. We find that the methylation levels of 65 probes are associated with the degree of kidney fibrosis at genome wide significance. In total 471 probes improve the model for kidney function decline. Methylation probes associated with kidney damage and functional decline enrich on kidney regulatory regions and associate with gene expression changes, including epidermal growth factor (EGF). Altogether, our work shows that kidney methylation differences can be detected in patients with diabetic kidney disease and improve kidney function decline models indicating that they are potentially functionally important.

Patients with diabetes commonly develop diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Here Gluck et al. identify a set of probes differentially methylated in renal samples from patients with DKD, and find that inclusion of these methylation probes improves current prediction models of renal function decline.

Association of prenatal organochlorine pesticide-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane exposure with fetal genome-wide DNA methylation

AIMS

To investigate whether intrauterine organochlorine pesticide (OCP)-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure could lead to epigenetic alterations by DNA methylation with possible important lifetime health consequences for offspring.

MAIN METHODS

We used Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation 450 K BeadChip to explore the pattern of genome-wide DNA methylation containing >485,000 gene sites in cord blood of 24 subjects in a 12 mother-newborn pairs birth cohort. Based on the genome-wide DNA methylation data, we chose one potential gene, BRCA1, to verify the results in another group comprising 126 subjects.

KEY FINDINGS

We identified 1,131 significantly different CpG sites which included 690 hypermethylation sites and 441 hypomethylation sites in the DNA methylation level between case and control group. The identified sites were located in 598 unique genes. In subsequent validation studies, we found that the DNA methylation level of the identified CpGs of BRCA1 increased with increased exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and the level of gene expression in the identified CpGs of BRCA1 decreased with increased exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).

SIGNIFICANCE

The results indicated that epigenetic processes played a possible role in the development of fetuses affected by maternal OCP-DDT exposure. Early prenatal exposure to DDT may affect fetal BRCA1 gene methylation, and increased exposure leads to a higher DNA methylation level and lower gene expression level.

Maternal protein malnutrition induced-hypertension: New evidence about the autonomic and respiratory dysfunctions and epigenetic mechanisms

Maternal protein malnutrition during the critical stages of development (pregnancy, lactation and first infancy) can lead to adult hypertension. Studies have shown that renal and cardiovascular dysfunctions can be associated to the development of hypertension in humans and rats exposed to maternal protein malnutrition. The etiology of hypertension, however, includes a complex network involved in central and peripheral blood pressure control. Recently, the hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system in protein-restricted rats has been reported. Studies have shown that protein malnutrition during pregnancy and/or lactation alters blood pressure control through mechanisms that include central sympathetic-respiratory dysfunctions and epigenetic modifications, which may contribute to adult hypertension. Thus, this review will discuss the historical context, new evidences of neurogenic disruption in respiratory-sympathetic activities and possible epigenetic mechanisms involved in maternal protein malnutrition induced- hypertension.

Genome-wide DNA methylation at birth in relation to in utero arsenic exposure and the associated health in later life

BACKGROUND

In utero arsenic exposure may alter fetal developmental programming by altering DNA methylation, which may result in a higher risk of disease in later life. We evaluated the association between in utero arsenic exposure and DNA methylation (DNAm) in cord blood and its influence in later life.

METHODS

Genome-wide DNA methylation in cord blood from 64 subjects in the Taiwanese maternal infant and birth cohort was analyzed. Robust regressions were applied to assess the association of DNA methylation with in utero arsenic exposure. Multiple testing was adjusted by controlling false discovery rate (FDR) of 0.05. The DAVID bioinformatics tool was implemented for functional annotation analyses on the detected CpGs. The identified CpGs were further tested in an independent cohort. For the CpGs replicated in the independent cohort, linear mixed models were applied to assess the association of DNA methylation with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) at different ages (2, 5, 8, 11 and 14 years).

RESULTS

In total, 579 out of 385,183 CpGs were identified after adjusting for multiple testing (FDR = 0.05), of which ~60% were positively associated with arsenic exposure. Functional annotation analysis on these CpGs detected 17 KEGG pathways (FDR = 0.05) including pathways for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus. In the independent cohort, about 46% (252 out of 553 CpGs) of the identified CpGs showed associations consistent with those in the study cohort. In total, 11 CpGs replicated in the independent cohort were in the pathways related to CVD and diabetes mellitus. Via longitudinal analyses, we found at 5 out of the 11 CpGs methylation was associated with LDL over time and interactions between DNA methylation and time were observed at 4 of the 5 CpGs, cg25189764 (coeff = 0.157, p-value = 0.047), cg04986899 (coeff. For interaction [coeff.int] = 0.030, p-value = 0.024), cg04903360 (coeff.int = 0.026, p-value = 0.032), cg08198265 (coeff.int = -0.063, p-value = 0.0021), cg10473311 (coeff.int = -0.021, p-value = 0.027).

CONCLUSION

In utero arsenic exposure was associated with cord blood DNA methylation at various CpGs. The identified CpGs may help determine pathological epigenetic mechanisms linked to in utero arsenic exposure. Five CpGs (cg25189764, cg04986899, cg04903360, cg08198265 and cg10473311) may serve as epigenetic markers for changes in LDL later in life.

The Impact of Kidney Development on the Life Course: A Consensus Document for Action

Hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a significant impact on global morbidity and mortality. The Low Birth Weight and Nephron Number Working Group has prepared a consensus document aimed to address the relatively neglected issue for the developmental programming of hypertension and CKD. It emerged from a workshop held on April 2, 2016, including eminent internationally recognized experts in the field of obstetrics, neonatology, and nephrology. Through multidisciplinary engagement, the goal of the workshop was to highlight the association between fetal and childhood development and an increased risk of adult diseases, focusing on hypertension and CKD, and to suggest possible practical solutions for the future. The recommendations for action of the consensus workshop are the results of combined clinical experience, shared research expertise, and a review of the literature. They highlight the need to act early to prevent CKD and other related noncommunicable diseases later in life by reducing low birth weight, small for gestational age, prematurity, and low nephron numbers at birth through coordinated interventions. Meeting the current unmet needs would help to define the most cost-effective strategies and to optimize interventions to limit or interrupt the developmental programming cycle of CKD later in life, especially in the poorest part of the world.

Chronic Hypertension in Women after Perinatal Exposure to Preeclampsia, Being Born Small for Gestational Age or Preterm

BACKGROUND

There is an established association between adverse events during perinatal life and chronic hypertension in adult life. However, disadvantageous conditions often co-exist in the same pregnancy. We investigated single and joint perinatal exposure to preeclampsia, being born small for gestational age (SGA) or preterm and subsequent risk of chronic hypertension.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 731 008 primiparous women from Norway and Sweden registered in the Medical Birth Registers, both as infants and as first time mothers between 1967-2009 (Norway) and 1973-2010 (Sweden). Risk of chronic hypertension in early pregnancy was calculated in women with perinatal exposures to preeclampsia, born SGA or preterm by log-binominal regression analysis, and adjusted for maternal age and level of education in the first generation.

RESULTS

The rate of chronic hypertension was 0.4%. Risk of chronic hypertension was associated with single perinatal exposure to preeclampsia, being born SGA or preterm with adjusted relative risk (95% confidence interval, CI) of 2.2 (95% CI 1.8, 2.7), 1.1 (95% CI 1.0, 1.3), and 1.3 (95% CI 1.0, 1.5) respectively. The risks increased after joint exposures, with an almost fourfold risk increase after perinatal exposure to preeclampsia and preterm birth. Additional adjustment for BMI and smoking in the second generation in a subset of the cohort only had a minor impact on the results.

CONCLUSIONS

Perinatal exposure to preeclampsia, being born SGA or preterm is independently associated with increased risk of chronic hypertension. The highest risk was seen after exposure to preeclampsia, especially if combined with SGA or preterm birth.

Long-term consequences of disrupting adenosine signaling during embryonic development

There is growing evidence that disruption in the prenatal environment can have long-lasting effects on an individual's health in adulthood. Research on the fetal programming of adult diseases, including cardiovascular disease, focuses on epi-mutations, which alter the normal pattern of epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation, miRNA expression, or chromatin modification, rather than traditional genetic alteration. Thus, understanding how in utero chemical exposures alter epigenetics and lead to adult disease is of considerable public health concern. Few signaling molecules have the potential to influence the developing mammal as the nucleoside adenosine. Adenosine levels increase rapidly with tissue hypoxia and inflammation. Adenosine antagonists including the methlyxanthines caffeine and theophylline are widely consumed during pregnancy. The receptors that transduce adenosine action are the A1, A2a, A2b, and A3 adenosine receptors (ARs). We examined the long-term effects of in utero disruption of adenosine signaling on cardiac gene expression, morphology, and function in adult offspring. One substance that fetuses are frequently exposed to is caffeine, which is a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist. Over the past several years, we examined the role of adenosine signaling during embryogenesis and cardiac development. We discovered that in utero alteration in adenosine action leads to adverse effects on embryonic and adult murine hearts. We find that cardiac A1ARs protect the embryo from in utero hypoxic stress, a condition that causes an increase in adenosine levels. After birth in mice, we observed that in utero caffeine exposure leads to abnormal cardiac function and morphology in adults, including an impaired response to β-adrenergic stimulation. Recently, we observed that in utero caffeine exposure induces transgenerational effects on cardiac morphology, function, and gene expression. Our findings indicate that the effects of altered adenosine signaling are dependent on signaling through the A1ARs and timing of disruption. In addition, the long-term effects of altered adenosine signaling appear to be mediated by alterations in DNA methylation, an epigenetic process critical for normal development.

In Utero Caffeine Exposure Induces Transgenerational Effects on the Adult Heart

Each year millions of pregnant woman are exposed to caffeine, which acts to antagonize adenosine action. The long-term consequences of this exposure on the developing fetus are largely unknown, although in animal models we have found adverse effects on cardiac function. To assess if these effects are transmitted transgenerationally, we exposed pregnant mice to caffeine equivalent to 2–4 cups of coffee at two embryonic stages. Embryos (F1 generation) exposed to caffeine early from embryonic (E) day 6.5–9.5 developed a phenotype similar to dilated cardiomyopathy by 1 year of age. Embryos exposed to caffeine later (E10.5–13.5) were not affected. We next examined the F2 generation and F3 generation of mice exposed to caffeine from E10.5–13.5, as this coincides with germ cell development. These F2 generation adult mice developed a cardiac phenotype similar to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The F3 generation exhibited morphological changes in adult hearts, including increased mass. This report shows that in utero caffeine exposure has long-term effects into adulthood and that prenatal caffeine exposure can exert adverse transgenerational effects on adult cardiac function.

In Utero Origins of Hypertension: Mechanisms and Targets for Therapy

The developmental origins of health and disease theory is based on evidence that a suboptimal environment during fetal and neonatal development can significantly impact the evolution of adult-onset disease. Abundant evidence exists that a compromised prenatal (and early postnatal) environment leads to an increased risk of hypertension later in life. Hypertension is a silent, chronic, and progressive disease defined by elevated blood pressure (>140/90 mmHg) and is strongly correlated with cardiovascular morbidity/mortality. The pathophysiological mechanisms, however, are complex and poorly understood, and hypertension continues to be one of the most resilient health problems in modern society. Research into the programming of hypertension has proposed pharmacological treatment strategies to reverse and/or prevent disease. In addition, modifications to the lifestyle of pregnant women might impart far-reaching benefits to the health of their children. As more information is discovered, more successful management of hypertension can be expected to follow; however, while pregnancy complications such as fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, preterm birth, etc., continue to occur, their offspring will be at increased risk for hypertension. This article reviews the current knowledge surrounding the developmental origins of hypertension, with a focus on mechanistic pathways and targets for therapeutic and pharmacologic interventions.

Perinatal androgen exposure and adipose tissue programming: is there an impact on body weight fate?

Obesity is a major concern in public health because it is one of the main risk factors for the development of non-transmissible chronic diseases. The fact that there is a clear sex dimorphism in normal body fat distribution points out the role of sex steroids as key factors in the regulation and function of the adipose cell. Androgens affect adipogenesis and fat metabolism in the adipose tissue of males and females. Hormonal disorders during pregnancy may affect the fetal tissues, with long-term implications leading to the development of pathologies during adult life. Obesity and metabolic disease are among these. In this regard, animal models have demonstrated an abnormal fat distribution and modifications in the size and function of adipose cells in the female and male offspring of mothers exposed to androgen excess during pregnancy.

Early life obesity and chronic kidney disease in later life

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has increased considerably with a parallel rise in the prevalence of obesity. It is now recognized that early life nutrition has life-long effects on the susceptibility of an individual to develop obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and CKD. The kidney can be programmed by a number of intrauterine and neonatal insults. Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the most identifiable markers of a suboptimal prenatal environment, and the important intrarenal factors sensitive to programming events include decreased nephron number and altered control of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). LBW complicated by accelerated catch-up growth is associated with an increased risk of obesity, hypertension and CKD in later life. High birth weight and exposure to maternal diabetes or obesity can enhance the risk for developing CKD in later life. Rapid postnatal growth per se may also contribute to the subsequent development of obesity and CKD regardless of birth weight and prenatal nutrition. Although the mechanisms of renal risks due to early life nutritional programming remain largely unknown, experimental and clinical studies suggest the burdening role of early life obesity in longstanding cardiovascular and renal diseases.

Nephron number and its determinants in early life: a primer

Although there is wide variation, humans possess on average 900,000 nephrons per kidney. So far as is known, nephrons cannot regenerate; therefore, an individual's nephron endowment has profound implications in determining his or her long-term risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Most of the variability in human nephron number is determined early in life. Nephrogenesis is a complex and carefully orchestrated process that occurs during a narrow time window until 36 weeks gestation in humans, and disruption of any part of this sequence may lead to reduced nephron number. In utero, genetic abnormalities, toxic insults, and nutritional deficiencies can each alter final nephron number. Infants born prematurely must continue nephrogenesis in an ex utero environment where there may be multiple threats to successful nephrogenesis. Once the nephron endowment is determined, postnatal factors (such as acute kidney injury or chronic illnesses) can only decrease nephron number. Current techniques for estimating nephron number require an invasive procedure or complete destruction of the tissue, making noninvasive means for counting nephron surgently needed. A better understanding of nephron number and its determinants, particularly during growth and maturation, could allow the development of therapies to support, prolong, or resume nephrogenesis.

Early-life Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Later-life Health Outcomes: An Epigenetic Bridge?

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that adverse events early in development, and particularly during intrauterine life, may program risks for diseases in adult life. Increasing evidence has been accumulated indicating the important role of epigenetic regulation including DNA methylation, histone modifications and miRNAs in developmental programming. Among the environmental factors which play an important role in programming of chronic pathologies, the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that have estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, and anti-androgenic activity are of specific concern because the developing organism is extremely sensitive to perturbation by substances with hormone-like activity. Among EDCs, there are many substances that are constantly present in the modern human environment or are in widespread use, including dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, phthalates, agricultural pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals. Apart from their common endocrine active properties, several EDCs have been shown to disrupt developmental epigenomic programming. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary of recent research findings which indicate that exposure to EDCs during in-utero and/or neonatal development can cause long-term health outcomes via mechanisms of epigenetic memory.

Jussara (Euterpe edulis Mart.) supplementation during pregnancy and lactation modulates the gene and protein expression of inflammation biomarkers induced by trans-fatty acids in the colon of offspring

Maternal intake of trans-fatty acids (TFAs) in the perinatal period triggers a proinflammatory state in offspring. Anthocyanins contained in fruit are promising modulators of inflammation. This study investigated the effect of Jussara supplementation in the maternal diet on the proinflammatory state of the colon in offspring exposed to perinatal TFAs. On the first day of pregnancy rats were divided into four groups: control diet (C), control diet with 0.5% Jussara supplementation (CJ), diet enriched with hydrogenated vegetable fat, rich in TFAs (T), or T diet supplemented with 0.5% Jussara (TJ) during pregnancy and lactation. We showed that Jussara supplementation in maternal diet (CJ and TJ groups) reduced carcass lipid/protein ratios, serum lipids, glucose, IL-6, TNF-α, gene expression of IL-6R, TNF-αR (P < 0.05), TLR-4 (P < 0.01), and increase Lactobacillus spp. (P < 0.05) in the colon of offspring compared to the T group. The IL-10 (P = 0.035) and IL-10/TNF-α ratio (P < 0.01) was higher in the CJ group than in the T group. The 0.5% Jussara supplementation reverses the adverse effects of perinatal TFAs, improving lipid profiles, glucose levels, body composition, and gut microbiota and reducing low-grade inflammation in the colon of 21-day-old offspring, and could contribute to reducing chronic disease development.

Effect of low birth weight on women's health

PURPOSE

The theory of the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesizes that low birth weight (≤5.5 lb) indicative of poor fetal growth is associated with an increased risk of chronic, noncommunicable disease in later life, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis. Whether women are at greater risk than men is not clear. Experimental studies that mimic the cause of slow fetal growth are being used to examine the underlying mechanisms that link a poor fetal environment with later chronic disease and investigate how sex and age affect programmed risk. Thus, the aims of this review are to summarize the current literature related to the effect of low birth weight on women's health and provide insight into potential mechanisms that program increased risk of chronic disease across the lifespan.

METHODS

A search of PubMed was performed with the keywords low birth weight, women's health, female, and sex differences; additional terms included blood pressure, hypertension, renal, cardiovascular, obesity, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, bone health, reproductive senescence, menopause, and aging.

FINDINGS

The major chronic diseases associated with low birth weight include high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, impaired glucose homeostasis and type 2 diabetes, impaired bone mass and osteoporosis, and early reproductive aging.

IMPLICATIONS

Low birth weight increases the risk of chronic disease in men and women. Low birth weight is also associated with increased risk of early menopause. Further studies are needed to fully address the effect of sex and age on the developmental programming of adult health and disease in women across their lifespan.

Chromatin dynamics in kidney development and function

Epigenetic mechanisms are fundamental key features of developing cells connecting developmental regulatory factors to chromatin modification. Changes in the environment during renal development can have long-lasting effects on the permanent tissue structure and the level of expression of important functional genes. These changes are believed to contribute to kidney disease occurrence and progression. Although the mechanisms of early patterning and cell fate have been well described for renal development, little is known about associated epigenetic modifications and their impact on how genes interact to specify the renal epithelial cells of nephrons and how this specification is relevant to maintaining normal renal function. A better understanding of the renal cell-specific epigenetic modifications and the interaction of different cell types to form this highly complex organ will not only help to better understand developmental defects and early loss of kidney function in children, but also help to understand and improve chronic disease progression, cell regeneration and renal aging.

Adverse prenatal environment and kidney development: implications for programing of adult disease

The 'developmental origins of health and disease' hypothesis suggests that many adult-onset diseases can be attributed to altered growth and development during early life. Perturbations during gestation can be detrimental and lead to an increased risk of developing renal, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive dysfunction in adulthood. The kidney has emerged as being especially vulnerable to insult at almost any stage of development resulting in a reduction in nephron endowment. In both humans and animal models, a reduction in nephron endowment is strongly associated with an increased risk of hypertension. The focus of this review is twofold: i) to determine the importance of specific periods during development on long-term programing and ii) to examine the effects of maternal perturbations on the developing kidney and how this may program adult-onset disease. Recent evidence has suggested that insults occurring around the time of conception also have the capacity to influence long-term health. Although epigenetic mechanisms are implicated in mediating these outcomes, it is unclear as to how these may impact on kidney development. This presents exciting new challenges and areas for research.

Epigenetics: a new way to look at kidney diseases

Only a few percent of the 3 billion pairs of chemical letters in the human genome is responsible for protein-coding sequences. Recent advances in the field of epigenomics have helped us to understand how most of the remaining sequences are responsible for gene regulation at baseline and in disease conditions. Here we discuss recent advances in the area of epigenetics--specifically in cytosine modifications--and its application in the field of nephrology.

Prenatal maternal stress exposure and immune function in the offspring

The intra-uterine environment provides the first regulatory connection for the developing fetus and shapes its physiological responses in preparation for postnatal life. Psychological stress acts as a programming determinant by setting functional parameters to abnormal levels, thus inducing postnatal maladaptation. The effects of prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) on the developing immune system have been documented mostly through animal studies, but inconsistent results and methodological differences have hampered the complete understanding of these findings. As the immune system follows a similar ontogenic pattern in all mammals, a translational framework based on the developmental windows of vulnerability proposed by immunotoxicology studies was created to integrate these findings. The objective of this review is to examine the available literature on PNMS and immune function in the offspring through the above framework and gain a better understanding of these results by elucidating the moderating influence of the stressor type, timing and duration, and the offspring species, sex and age at assessment. The evaluation of the literature through this framework showed that the effects of PNMS are parameter specific: the moderating effects of timing in gestation were relevant for lymphocyte population numbers, Natural Killer cell function and mitogen-induced proliferation. The presence of an important and directional sexual dimorphism was evident and the influence of the type or duration of PNMS paralleled that of stress in non-pregnant animals. In conclusion, PNMS is a relevant factor in the programming of immune function. Its consequences may be related to disorders with an important immune component such as allergies.

Short- and long-term effects of exposure to natural and synthetic glucocorticoids during development

1.Glucocorticoids (GCs) are necessary for fetal development, but clinical and experimental studies suggest that excess exposure may be detrimental to health in both the short and longer term. 2.Exposure of the fetus to synthetic GCs can occur if the mother has a medical condition requiring GC therapy (e.g. asthma) or if she threatens to deliver her baby prematurely. Synthetic GCs can readily cross the placenta and treatment is beneficial, at least in the short term, for maternal health and fetal survival. 3.Maternal stress during pregnancy can raise endogenous levels of the natural GC cortisol. A significant proportion of the cortisol is inactivated by the placental 'GC barrier'. However, exposure to severe stress during pregnancy can result in increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and behavioural deficits in children. 4.Animal studies have shown that excess exposure to both synthetic and natural GCs can alter normal organ development, including that of the heart, brain and kidney. The nature and severity of the organ impairment is dependent upon the timing of exposure and, in some cases, the type of GC used and the sex of the fetus. 5.In animal models, exposure to elevated GCs during pregnancy has been associated with adult-onset diseases, including elevated blood pressure, impaired cardiac and vascular function and altered metabolic function.