(OR18-02-23) Influence of Maternal High-Fat Feeding and Choline Supplementation on Offspring Metabolome

Objectives: Maternal obesity during pregnancy may predispose offspring to metabolic deregulation. Our previous studies have demonstrated that maternal choline supplementation (CS) mitigates glucose intolerance in offspring exposed to maternal obesity. Here, we investigated under high-fat (HF) obesogenic feeding, how maternal CS during the prenatal period modified the offspring metabolome after 6 weeks of HF feeding post-weaning.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice were fed a 60% kcal HF diet with or without 25 mM CS during gestation. Offspring mice were also exposed to the HF diet for 6 weeks after weaning. The metabolome and lipidome were analyzed by liquid and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry and metabolite peak intensities were analyzed with MetaboAnalyst 5.0.

Results: Our results demonstrated that maternal HF+CS lowered the abundance of a few metabolites involved with the pentose phosphate pathway (e.g., glucose-6-phosphate, ribulose-5-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate), while increasing the abundance of a subclass of phospholipids called plasmalogens in the offspring liver. Maternal CS also partially restored the depletion of blood plasma palmitoleic acid due to postnatal HF feeding.

Conclusions: In conclusion, maternal HF+CS has lasting influence on offspring metabolome and may thus affect offspring macronutrient metabolism in the long term.

Funding Sources: NIGMS