Influence of history of pregnancy with or without lactation in the metabolic memory of mice exposed to high fat diet

• Grant number: 19/03777-2
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Gabriel Forato Anhê
• Grantee: Chelsy Chinhere Ifekaibeya
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Experimental models with rodents show that obese mice exposed to the hyperlipidic diet did not return to body weight and adiposity similar to that of animals even after 8 weeks of return of the consumption of standard normocaloric ration (SC). This metabolic "memory" is also characterized by persistent increase in leptinemia and accumulation of fat in the liver. On the other hand, recently published by our laboratory shows that the mice that were submitted to gestation and lactation present a late reduction in liver triglyceride (TG) levels compared to those who became pregnant and did not breastfeed. Thus, the objective of this project is to evaluate whether the history of pregnancy, with or without lactation, interferes in weight loss and adiposity in mice previously exposed to the hyperlipidic diet. Mice will be exposed to the hyperlipidaid diet for 8 weeks and then will return to consume SC diet for another 8 weeks (HFD-SC). A control group will remain permanently with SC (SC-SC). One-third of the HFD-SC mice will remain virgin, one-third will be pregnant and breastfed (HFD-SC-preg/lac) and one-third will not be breastfed (HFD-SC-preg). Pregnancy with or without lactation will occur during the lifetime of exposure to HFD. After 8 weeks of partial reversal of metabolic changes, the animals will be used for measurements of adiposity, lipid profile, VLDL production, hepatic TG stock and energy expenditure.