Dietary Sea buckthorn during pregnancy reverses offspring obesity by alleviating BAT dysfunction

Sea buckthorn (SB) berries, which are non-toxic, contain diverse bioactive substances with high nutritional value and beneficial medicinal properties. This study aims to explore the effects of maternal dietary SB during pregnancy and lactation on high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity in offspring. The results showed that maternal SB intake reduced offspring body weight and fat mass, and improved both glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, offspring of dams fed SB exhibited lower expression of inflammatory response factors, such as IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α, and higher energy metabolism in BAT to resist the cold environment than the descendants of only HFD-fed dams. Meanwhile, markers for BAT were dramatically upregulated in offspring of HFDSB-fed dams. Finally, dietary SB restored the number of functional mitochondria by increasing PKM2 and FASN expression. Taken together, this study reveals a novel approach for alleviating offspring obesity induced by HFD in terms of maternal SB supplementation. • Maternal sea buckthorn (SB) intake reverses obesity in offspring. • SB improves inflammation and oxidation of fatty acid in BAT of offspring. • BAT activity is enhanced by restoring mitochondrial function. • PKM2 and FASN are the potential factors to regulate mitochondrial function.