AGÊNCIA FAPESP – Much has been said about the influence of maternal diet on the health and metabolism of children and it is common for women to change their eating habits during pregnancy and lactation periods. Now, a study published in the journal Food Research International suggests that the quality of what country consume should also be observed, as it may influence the offspring gut-brain axis a system that connects the two organs and is related to metabolic problems, including obesity.
The research work, funded by FAPESP through two projects (19/09724-8 and 17/09646-1), analyzed and measured proteins and other factors related to energy homeostasis in rats (maintenance of the balance between supplied and dissipated energy) , inflammatory processes and metabolic diseases in male offspring and found alterations that can program susceptibility to diseases.
At the beginning of the experiment, the scientists induced both maternal and paternal obesity in the rodents through a diet high in lipids and carbohydrates (containing lard and condensed milk). For males, hypercaloric food was provided during the ten weeks prior to mating and, for females, throughout pregnancy and lactation.
Then, the offspring was evaluated in two moments. In the first, blood and tissue analyzes were performed shortly after lactation (21 days of life). The tests were repeated at the beginning of adult life (90 days of life). We analyzed the expression of genes coding for proteins involved in the signaling pathway mediated by the TLR4 receptor (which acts on the activation of the innate immune response), factor ZO1 (related to intestinal permeability), orexigenic neuropeptides (appetite stimulants) and the leptin receptor (involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis).
The concentration of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was also observed in the blood, molecules from the membrane of gram negative bacteria rich in endotoxins and which, when they escape from the intestine, trigger an inflammatory process; ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach and intestine, responsible for the feeling of hunger; of neuropeptide Y, involved in physiological processes in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
And the levels of certain bacteria in the intestinal microbiota, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, were also evaluated.
“In cases of paternal diet rich in fats and sugars, we found important changes in the offspring soon after lactation, such as, for example, the increase in the serum concentration of lipopolysaccharides, which was positively associated with the activation of inflammatory pathways in the hypothalamus (brain region involved in appetite control)”, says Luciana Pellegrini Pisani, professor at the Department of Biosciences at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), Campus Baixada Santista, and study advisor.
“We also had a decrease in ZO1, which is associated with increased intestinal permeability, leading to greater translocation of lipopolysaccharides. [escape de LPS para fora do intestino]