Maternal Inflammation at 0.7 Gestation in Ewes Leads to Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Impaired Glucose Metabolism in Offspring at 30 d of Age

Authors

Robert J. Posont, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Caitlin N. Cadaret, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kristin A. Beede, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Joslyn K. Beard, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Rebecca M. Swanson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Rachel L. Gibbs, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jessica L. Petersen, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Dustin T. Yates, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Jessica L. Petersen

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2019

Citation

Translational Animal Science (2019) 3: 1,673–1,677

doi: 10.1093/tas/txz055

Comments

Copyright © 2019, the authors. Open access

License: CC BY-NC

Abstract

Fetal programming associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) leads to lifelong deficits in growth and metabolic function (Hales and Barker, 2013). IUGR arises when fetuses respond to poor in utero conditions by developing adaptations that repartition nutrients to critical tissues and away from skeletal muscle (Yates et al., 2012, 2018). This fetal programming is beneficial in utero but leads to persistent reductions in muscle mass and glucose homeostasis in offspring (DeFronzo et al., 1981). Recent studies by our laboratory in sheep and rats demonstrate that maternal inflammation during gestation induces fetal inflammatory adaptations that impair growth and disrupt muscle glucose metabolism (Cadaret et al., 2017, 2018). IUGR fetal skeletal muscle exhibits indicators of enhanced inflammatory sensitivity, which could disrupt glucose uptake and oxidation (Yates et al., 2016; Cadaret et al., 2018). Enhanced inflammatory responsiveness would help explain growth and metabolic deficits observed in IUGR offspring. We hypothesize that fetal programming induced by maternal inflammation persists in offspring and contributes to impaired growth and glucose metabolism at 30 d. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether sustained maternal inflammation induced by bacterial endotoxin at 0.7 gestation leads to fetal programming that contributes to deficits in growth and glucose metabolism in offspring.