Maternal nutritional status and its effect on hepatic and adipose tissue FAS activity in the offspring

Abstract

Fatty acid synthetase (FAS) expression and activity is controlled by nutritional and hormonal status of the animal. Whether there is a long term nutritional effect on the activity and expression of this enzyme is not well studied. To study the short and long term effects of different plane of maternal nutrition during gestation and lactation on hepatic and adipose tissue FAS activity of the offsprings, female rats were randomly assigned on day of mating to one of four different dietary groups: Gpl (control, fed ad libitum), Gp2 (fed 70% of control intake during gestation and lactation), Gp3 (fed 70% during gestation and 100 % during lactation) Litter size was adjusted to 10 pups on day of birth. Pups were weaned to an ad libitum commercial rat chow on day 20. On days 20 and 90, hepatic and adipose tissue lipogenic activity were measured by fatty acid incorporation of tritiated water, while FAS activity was measured through the malonyl and acetyl CoA- dependent rate of NADPH oxidation by spectrophotometric method. Hepatic lipogenic activity, expressed as total activity, was significantly lower at 20 days in Gp2 (73.84±11) compared with Gpl(114.08±16), (Student t-test, p<0.05). No differences were noted among other groups at this date and for all groups at 90 days. Results of FAS assay expressed as nmol NADPH/min/mg protein are as follows: Group Hepatic tissue Adipose tissue Day 20 Day 90 Day 20 Day 90 1 3.31±0.25 2.30±0.20 3.15±0.25 2.41±0.11 2 3.98±0.30 2.15±0.27 3.12±1.28 2.27±.0.40 3 3.57±0.15 2.22±0.09 3.38±0.21 2.71±0.29 Our result showed that although the activity of FAS was lower at 90 days, there was no difference among groups at both time point. This suggest that maternal nutritional status has no long term effect on hepatic and adipose tissue lipogenic activity of the offspring.