Maternal consumption of a high-fat diet promotes changes in systolic pressure and plasma sodium concentration in the offspring of adult rats
High fat diet, Metabolic programming, Cardiovascular diseases
Inadequate maternal nutrition is related to the development of diseases and health problems, such as obesity and overweight, cardiovascular diseases and can cause metabolic programming in your offspring. Our research group previously demonstrated that maternal consumption of a high-fat diet promoted an increase in body mass, adiposity, hyperleptinemia in the offspring of rats at weaning, in addition to impaired systolic function at 30 days of age. This study aimed to investigate the effect of maternal consumption of a high-fat diet on the blood pressure of adult rats and the possible involvement of sodium ion in this process. For this, Wistar rats received a control diet (9% lipids, group C) or high-fat diet (29% lipids, group HFD ) for 8 weeks before mating, and during pregnancy and lactation. The progenitors C and DH gave rise to the control (C) and hyperlipidic (HFD) offspring, respectively. After weaning, part of the offspring was euthanized and the rest at 180 days of age. At weaning were evaluated: body weight, cardiac hypertrophy, weight of kidneys and white adipose tissues, sodium concentration in blood and skin and at 180 days were evaluated: body weight, food and water intake, kidney weight, indirect assessment of cardiac hypertrophy , white adipose tissues, sodium concentration in the blood, urine and skin. In urine in addition to urinary volume, creatinine, Na+, K+, Cl-, normalized were also analyzed. body weight, urine volume and water intake were measured and urine samples were collected. Upon weaning, the offspring showed greater body mass, cardiac hypertrophy, increased dry skin weight and total skin water content was reduced, as well as the relative sodium of the skin. At 180 days of age, there was no variation in body mass, white adipose tissue, water and food intake, kidney weight as well as in the indirect assessment of cardiac hypertrophy. The HFD males showed higher systolic pressure compared to the C males as well as an increase in plasma sodium, with no change in urinary sodium between the groups, in biochemical analyzes only in the HFD males a decrease in the Cl- electrolyte was observed. The total water content of the skin was reduced in HFD males. None of these changes were detected in the females of the groups. When assessing sodium concentrations in urine and epithelial samples, there was no difference. Our results demonstrate that maternal consumption of a high-fat diet promotes an increase in plasma sodium concentration and systolic pressure in adult offspring in a sex-specific way. These events may be related to the development of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension.