Consequences of hyperandrogenemia during pregnancy in female offspring: attenuated response to angiotensin II

BACKGROUND

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by reproductive and metabolic dysfunction, and elevated blood pressure (BP). The cardiometabolic consequences of maternal hyperandrogenemia on offspring, either as adults or with aging, have not been well studied. We previously found that male offspring of hyperandrogenemic female (HAF) rats, a model of PCOS, are normotensive but have an exaggerated pressor response to angiotensin (Ang) II.

METHOD

In this study, the hypothesis was tested that adult and aging female offspring of HAF rats develop a metabolic and hypertensive phenotype. Control and HAF rats were implanted prepubertally with placebo or dihydrotestosterone pellets, which continued throughout pregnancy and lactation.

RESULTS

Female offspring of HAF dams had lower birth weight than female control offspring. Although female HAF offspring (aged 16-24 weeks) had no differences in intrarenal Ang II, plasma lipids or proteinuria, they did have lower intrarenal Ang (1-7) and lower nitrate/nitrite excretion than controls. Adult HAF offspring had similar baseline BP as controls, but had an attenuated pressor response to Ang II. With aging (16-20 months), female HAF offspring remained normotensive with an attenuated pressor response to Ang II and high salt diet but more proteinuria and higher intrarenal Ang(1-7) than controls.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, these data suggest that female HAF offspring are protected from developing hypertension, but may be at risk for renal injury with aging. Future studies are necessary to determine whether adult and postmenopausal offspring of PCOS women are at increased risk for cardiovascular dysfunction.Graphical abstract:http://links.lww.com/HJH/B820.

Prenatal Poly I:C Challenge Affects Behaviors and Neurotransmission via Elevated Neuroinflammation Responses in Female Juvenile Rats

BACKGROUND

Exposure to polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (Poly I:C) in pregnant rats has been reported to cause schizophrenia-like behaviors and abnormal neurotransmissions in adult, particularly male, offspring. However, what is less well understood are the effects of maternal Poly I:C exposure on adolescent behaviors and neurotransmission in female juvenile rats.

METHODS

Female adolescent Poly I:C offspring were constructed by treating with 5 mg/kg Poly I:C on timed pregnant rats (gestation day 15). A battery of behavioral tests was conducted during postnatal day 35-60. Neurotransmitter receptors and inflammation markers in brain regions were evaluated by RT-qPCR on postnatal day 60.

RESULTS

Open field, elevated plus maze, and forced swimming tests revealed that prenatal Poly I:C exposure led to elevated anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors in female adolescent offspring. Deficits in pre-pulse inhibition and social interaction were also observed. However, the Poly I:C rats had better performance than the controls in the novel object recognition memory test, which demonstrated a behavioral phenotype with improved cognitive function. Prenatal Poly I:C exposure caused brain region-specific elevation of the P2X7 receptor- and NF-κB-NLRP3-IL-1β inflammatory signaling in female juvenile rats. Prenatal Poly I:C exposure decreased expression of GABAA receptor subunits Gabrb3 in the prefrontal cortex and Gabrb1 and dopamine D2 receptor in the hippocampus, but increased NMDA receptor subunit Grin2a in the prefrontal cortex, 5-HT2A in the hippocampus, and Gabrb3 and D2 receptor in the nucleus accumben.

CONCLUSIONS

Prenatal Poly I:C challenge causes behavioral deficits and brain-specific neurotransmission changes via elevated neuroinflammation responses in female adolescent offspring rats.

High Intakes of [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid Compared with Folic Acid during Pregnancy Programs Central and Peripheral Mechanisms Favouring Increased Food Intake and Body Weight of Mature Female Offspring

Supplementation with [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (MTHF) is recommended as an alternative to folic acid (FA) in prenatal supplements. This study compared equimolar gestational FA and MTHF diets on energy regulation of female offspring. Wistar rats were fed an AIN-93G diet with recommended (2 mg/kg diet) or 5-fold (5X) intakes of MTHF or FA. At weaning, female offspring were fed a 45% fat diet until 19 weeks. The 5X-MTHF offspring had higher body weight (>15%), food intake (8%), light-cycle energy expenditure, and lower activity compared to 5X-FA offspring (p < 0.05). Both the 5X offspring had higher plasma levels of the anorectic hormone leptin at birth (60%) and at 19 weeks (40%), and lower liver weight and total liver lipids compared to the 1X offspring (p < 0.05). Hypothalamic mRNA expression of leptin receptor (ObRb) was lower, and of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (Socs3) was higher in the 5X-MTHF offspring (p < 0.05), suggesting central leptin dysregulation. In contrast, the 5X-FA offspring had higher expression of genes encoding for dopamine and GABA- neurotransmitter receptors (p < 0.01), consistent with their phenotype and reduced food intake. When fed folate diets at the requirement level, no differences were found due to form in the offspring. We conclude that MTHF compared to FA consumed at high levels in the gestational diets program central and peripheral mechanisms to favour increased weight gain in the offspring. These pre-clinical findings caution against high gestational intakes of folates of either form and encourage clinical trials examining their long-term health effects when consumed during pregnancy.

Reproductive outcomes in rat female offspring from male rats co-exposed to rosuvastatin and ascorbic acid during pre-puberty

Dyslipidemias are occurring earlier in different countries due to the increase of obesity, bad eating habits, and sedentary lifestyle. Rosuvastatin reduces serum cholesterol; however, several studies associated statin exposure with male reproduction impairment. Ascorbic acid (AA) is an antioxidant substance that plays a protective role in the male reproductive system. Male rats were randomly divided into 6 experimental groups (n = 10), which received saline solution 0.9%, 3 or 10 mg/kg/day of rosuvastatin, 150 mg/day of AA or 3 or 10 mg/kg/day of rosuvastatin associated with 150 mg/day of AA from post-natal day (PND) 23 until PND 53. On PND 100, males were mated with non-treated female rats to obtain the female pups. The day of vaginal opening and the first estrus were assessed in the offspring. Two sets of females were euthanized on the first estrus after PND 42 and PND 75 to evaluate the histology of reproductive organs and hormone levels. A third set was used for sexual behavior and fertility test around PND 75. Female offspring from males exposed or co-exposed to the higher dose of statin exhibited a lower number of corpora lutea during puberty. On sexual maturity, the experimental group from males that were exposed to 3 mg displayed lower uterine luminal epithelium area. Paternal exposure to rosuvastatin at pre-puberty diminished uterine luminal epithelium in female offspring suggesting epigenetic changes were initiated by statin. Ascorbic acid co-administered to pre-pubertal males was able to ameliorate the reproductive damage in rat female offspring in adulthood.

Improved Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in the Early Life of Female Offspring by Maternal Dietary Genistein Is Associated With Alterations in the Gut Microbiota

Maternal over-nutrition can lead to metabolic disorders in offspring, whereas maternal dietary genistein may have beneficial effects on the metabolic health of offspring. Our objective was to determine whether maternal dietary genistein could attenuate the detrimental effects of a maternal high-fat diet on their offspring's metabolism and to explore the role of the gut microbiota on their offspring's glucose and lipid metabolism. C57BL/6 female mice were fed either a high-fat diet without genistein (HF), high-fat diet with low-dose genistein (0.25 g/kg diet) (HF.LG), high-fat diet with high-dose genistein (0.6 g/kg diet) (HF.HG) or normal control diet (Control) for 3 weeks prior to breeding and throughout gestation and lactation. The female offspring in the HF group had lower birth weights and glucose intolerance and higher serum insulin, triacylglycerol (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels at weaning compared with the Control group. Offspring from HF.LG dams had increased birth weight, improved glucose tolerance, and decreased fasting insulin, whereas the serum TG and TC levels were decreased in HF.HG offspring in comparison with HF offspring. The significant enrichment of Bacteroides and Akkermansia in offspring from genistein-fed dams might play vital roles in improving glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, and the significantly increased abundance of Rikenella and Rikenellaceae_RC9_ gut_group in the HF.HG group may be associated with the decreased serum levels of TG and TC. In conclusion, maternal dietary genistein negates the harmful effects of a maternal high-fat diet on glucose and lipid metabolism in female offspring, in which the altered gut microbiota plays crucial roles. The ability of maternal genistein intake to improve offspring metabolism is important since this intervention could fight the transmission of diabetes to subsequent generations.

Sleep restriction during pregnancy and its effects on blood pressure and renal function among female offspring

The influence of sleep restriction (SR) during pregnancy on blood pressure and renal function among female adult offspring was investigated. Pregnant Wistar rats were distributed into control and SR groups. The SR was performed between the 14th and 20th days of pregnancy (multiple platforms method for 20 h/day). At 2 months of age, half of the offspring from both groups were subjected to an ovariectomy (ovx), and the other half underwent sham surgery. The groups were as follows: control sham (C_sham), control ovx (C_ovx), SR sham (SR_sham), and SR ovx (SR_ovx). Renal function markers and systolic blood pressure (BPi, indirect method) were evaluated at 4, 6, and 8 months. Subsequently, the rats were euthanized, kidneys were removed, and processed for morphological analyses of glomerular area (GA), number of glomeruli per mm³ (NG), and kidney mass (KM). Increased BPi was observed in the C_ovx, SR_sham, and SR_ovx groups compared to C_sham at all ages. Increased plasma creatinine concentration and decreased creatinine clearance were observed in the SR_sham and SR_ovx groups compared to the C_sham and C_ovx groups. The SR_ovx group showed higher BPi and reduced creatinine clearance compared to all other groups. The SR_ovx group showed reduced values of GA and KM, as well as increased NG, macrophage infiltration, collagen deposit, and ACE1 expression at the renal cortex. Therefore, SR during pregnancy might be an additional risk factor for developing renal dysfunction and increasing BP in female adult offspring. The absence of female hormones exacerbates the changes caused by SR.