Impact of maternal high-fat diet on offspring gut microbiota during short-term high-fat diet exposure in mice

Authors: PAZ, HENRY - University Arkansas For Medical Sciences (UAMS); BUDDHA, LASYA - University Arkansas For Medical Sciences (UAMS); ZHONG, YING - University Arkansas For Medical Sciences (UAMS); SIKES, JAMES - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC); WANKHADE, UMESH - University Arkansas For Medical Sciences (UAMS)

Submitted to: Physiological Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/18/2024
Publication Date: 11/3/2024
Citation: Paz, H., Buddha, L., Zhong, Y., Sikes, J.D., Wankhade, U.D. 2024. Impact of maternal high-fat diet on offspring gut microbiota during short-term high-fat diet exposure in mice. Physiological Reports. 12(21):e70111. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70111.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70111

Interpretive Summary: Obesity is a major health issue, and research is increasingly focusing on how the gut microbiome—the collection of microbes in our digestive system—contributes to weight gain. This study explored how a maternal high-fat diet (HF) affects the gut microbiome of offspring, particularly in response to a HF diet later in life, and whether these effects differ between females and males. Maternal HF diet reduced the gut bacterial diversity particularly in male offspring. Maternal HF-diet also impacted bacterial community composition in a sex-specific manner with female offspring showing higher levels of Corynebacterium and male offspring having lower levels of beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia and Roseburia. These findings highlight the complex, sex-dependent ways in which maternal diet can influence gut health, offering insights into how early-life diet may contribute to obesity and metabolic diseases.

Technical Abstract: Alterations in the gut microbiome have been linked to obesity, with maternal high-fat diet (HF) playing a role in shaping offspring microbiome composition. However, the sex-specific responses to maternal HF diet and the impact of subsequent dietary challenges remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of maternal HF diet on offspring gut microbiota structure and predicted functional profile in response to short-term postnatal HF diet exposure with a focus on sex-specific responses. Female and male offspring of maternal control (C) diet or maternal HF diet were weaned onto C diet or HF diet. Offspring were euthanized at 13 weeks of age and cecal contents were collected for bacterial taxonomic profiling. Maternal HF diet reduced a-diversity, notably in male offspring weaned onto HF diet. Sex-specific differences were observed in the gut microbial composition and predicted functional potential. Furthermore, the influence of maternal diet on bacterial community structure and functional potential varied depending on postnatal diet. Maternal HF diet led to increased relative abundance of Corynebacterium in female offspring and decreased abundance of Akkermansia and Roseburia in male offspring. These findings underscore the sexually dimorphic nature of maternal HF diet effects on gut microbiota composition and function, with implications for developmental programming and metabolic health.