Exercise during pregnancy protects adult mouse offspring from diet-induced obesity

Author(s):Show less -

Wasinski, Frederick ^{[1, 2]} ; Pereira Bacurau, Reury Frank ^[3] ; Estrela, Gabriel Rufino ^{[1, 2]} ; Klempin, Friederike ^[4] ; Arakaki, Aline Midori ^{[1, 2]} ; Batista, Rogerio Oliveira ^{[1, 2]} ; Pazello Mafra, Fernando Francisco ^[1] ; Ribeiro do Nascimento, Lucas Francisco ^[5] ; Hiyane, Meire Ioshie ^[6] ; Velloso, Licio Augusto ^[5] ; Saraiva Camara, Niels Olsen ^[6] ; Araujo, Ronaldo Carvalho ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Biophys, BR-04039032 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Med, Div Nephrol, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, BR-03828000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Max Delbruck Ctr Mol Med, D-13125 Berlin - Germany

^[5] Univ Estadual Campinas, Fac Med Sci, Dept Internal Med, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Immunol, Lab Transplantat Immunobiol, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: NUTRITION & METABOLISM; v. 12, DEC 18 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 16

Abstract

Background: Physical exercise induces positive alterations in gene expression involved in the metabolism of obesity. Maternal exercise provokes adaptations soon after birth in the offspring. Here, we investigated whether adult mouse offspring of swim-trained mothers is protected against the development of the deleterious effects of high fat diet (HFD). Methods: Our study comprises two parts. First, female C57BL/6 mice were divided into one sedentary and one swim-trained group (before and during pregnancy, n = 18). In the second part, adult offspring (n = 12) of trained and sedentary mothers was challenged to HFD for 16 weeks. Notably, most of the analysis was done in male offspring. Results: Our results demonstrate that maternal exercise has several beneficial effects on the mouse offspring and protects them from the deleterious effects of HFD in the adult. Specifically, swimming during pregnancy leads to lower birth weight in offspring through 2 months of age. When subjected to HFD for 4 month in the adulthood, our study presents novel data on the male offspring's metabolism of trained mothers. The offspring gained less weight, which was accompanied by less body fat, and they used more calories during daytime compared with offspring of sedentary mothers. Furthermore, we observed increased adiponectin expression in skeletal muscle, which was accompanied by decreased leptin levels and increased insulin sensitivity. Decreased interleukin-6 expression and increased peptide PYY levels were observed in sera of adult offspring of mothers that swam during pregnancy. Conclusions: Our results point to the conclusion that maternal exercise is beneficial to protect the offspring from developing obesity, which could be important for succeeding generations as well. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/04757-9 - Role of physical training in fetal reprogramming: emphasis on obesity
• Grantee: Ronaldo de Carvalho Araújo
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants