Impact of Maternal Obesity on the Gestational Metabolome and Infant Metabolome, Brain, and Behavioral Development in Rhesus Macaques
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Maternal gestational obesity is associated with elevated risks for neurodevelopmental disorder, including autism spectrum disorder. However, the mechanisms by which maternal adiposity influences fetal developmental programming remain to be elucidated. We aimed to understand the impact of maternal obesity on the metabolism of both pregnant mothers and their offspring, as well as on metabolic, brain, and behavioral development of offspring by utilizing metabolomics, protein, and behavioral assays in a non-human primate model. We found that maternal obesity was associated with elevated inflammation and significant alterations in metabolites of energy metabolism and one-carbon metabolism in maternal plasma and urine, as well as in the placenta. Infants that were born to obese mothers were significantly larger at birth compared to those that were born to lean mothers. Additionally, they exhibited significantly reduced novelty preference and significant alterations in their emotional response to stress situations. These changes coincided with differences in the phosphorylation of enzymes in the brain mTOR signaling pathway between infants that were born to obese and lean mothers and correlated with the concentration of maternal plasma betaine during pregnancy. In summary, gestational obesity significantly impacted the infant systemic and brain metabolome and adaptive behaviors.
Source: Metabolites
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,094
Funders: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, University of California, Davis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Center for Research Resources, California National Primate Research Center, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1413298748, G1859492571, G2360738436, G2383577666, G3719341328, G3823814851, G4217701082, G4229659068, G4413220018, Maternal Obesity and Weight Change in Neurobehavioral Development, ACQUISITION OF 500 MHZ NMR SPECTROMETER, G5019710219, G6278318099, G7328857870, G791781759, G8472215781, G9000004645, G9000048651, G9000120144, G9000169912, G9000250825, UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Core Center
OpenAlex ID: W4292566548