Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, cilt.9, sa.4, ss.409-416, 2018 (SCI-Expanded)
Nutrition during pregnancy and lactation is a critical factor in the development of the
offspring. Both protein content and source in maternal diet affect neonatal health, but the
long-term effects of maternal low-quality protein diet on the offspring are less clear. This
study aimed to examine the effects of maternal low-quality protein diet on offspring’s growth,
development, circulating metabolites and hepatic expression of methyltransferases. Virgin
Wistar rats were mated at 11 weeks of age. Dams were then maintained on either a chow diet
with 20% casein as the control group (C), or a low-quality protein diet with 20% wheat gluten
as the experimental group (WG) throughout gestation and lactation. After weaning, all
offspring were fed a control chow diet until the age of 20 weeks. Male WG offspring had
significantly lower body weight and energy intake, whereas female WG offspring had
significantly higher body weight and energy intake when compared with controls. Early life
exposure to WG diet had no significant effect on circulating metabolites. However, fasting
insulin concentrations and homoeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance were decreased
in WG male and female offspring. Maternal low-quality protein diet increased plasma
aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine, cystathione and decreased lysine in male WG offspring.
Conversely, the same amino acids were reduced in female WG offspring. Adult offspring
exposed to WG diet had significantly upregulated hepatic DNMT3a and DNMT3b
expressions. Our study showed that there were differential effects of maternal poor-quality
protein diet upon adult offspring’s metabolism.