Perinatal obesity primes the hepatic metabolic stress response in the offspring across life span
Perinatal obesity is associated with an increased risk of metabolic diseases and hepatic dysfunction in offspring. However, the underlying mechanisms of this metabolic programming remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to elucidate the influence of maternal obesity and early life exposure to high-fat diet on offspring liver phenotype, hepatokine profile, and key components of hepatic metabolism. To this end, we employed a murine high-fat diet-induced perinatal obesity model, investigating the offspring in early life and late adulthood. After exposure to perinatal obesity, the offspring showed a significantly increased body weight in early life with no histological signs of steatosis, but a dysregulated hepatokine profile. Proteomic profiling, followed by molecular analyses, revealed a decreased lipogenesis and increased fatty acid oxidation, suggesting a protective mechanism against the development of steatosis. These changes were accompanied by increased markers of lipid peroxidation and DNA damage, indicating increased oxidative stress. Concomitantly, the antioxidative enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase 2 were significantly reduced and oxidative phosphorylation was impaired, implying an altered oxidative stress response. While changes in oxidative stress level were only detected in early life, the lipid metabolism was altered across life span. This metabolic programming could determine the resilience and susceptibility to chronic liver disease later in life.
Authors
- Jaco Selle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4981-0931)
- Sonja Lang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5710-6103)
- Christoph Neumann‐Haefelin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7351-1387)
- Philipp Kasper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6218-2239)
- Jörg Dötsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1529-7647)
- Alexander Quaas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3537-6011)
- Sarah K. Stegmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3366-3906)
- Ruth Janoschek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1332-9353)
- Jan‐Wilm Lackmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8182-8034)
- Dirk Nierhoff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7297-2675)
- Christina Vohlen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6395-7999)
- Jana Niehues (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5996-8292)
- Miguel Angel Alejandre Alcazar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3176-0411)
- Münevver Demir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7050-797X)
- Nam Gyu Im (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8839-7692)
- Hans‐Michael Steffen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6562-3549)
- Celien Kuiper-Makris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7940-9612)
Institutions
- University of Cologne (DE)
- German Center for Lung Research (DE)
- Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (DE)
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (DE)
- University Hospital Cologne (DE)
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-02-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90082-4
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Birth, Development, and Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.99
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Universität zu Köln
- Universitätsklinikum Köln