Therapeutic strategies to correct utero environment for preventing NCDs in offspring

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K11092
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Ehime University
• Principal Investigator: SUGIYAMA TAKASHI 愛媛大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (10263005)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 藤岡 徹 愛媛大学, 医学系研究科, 准教授 (10253303) ; 松原 圭一 愛媛大学, 医学系研究科, 寄附講座教授 (80263937)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 子宮内環境 / 炎症 / インスリン抵抗性 / DOHaD / epigenetics

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Animal experiments using mice showed that high-fat-diet in pregnant mice affected fetal metabolism through inflammatory changes in adipose tissue, and offspring from their pregnant mice are likely to develop non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in later life. On the other hand, it was found that when fish oil having an anti-inflammatory effect is administered during pregnancy, the degree of NCDs onset is reduced, and the expression of some inflammatory cytokines were slightly reduced. These results suggest that fish oil supplement in pregnant mothers may lead to the health of children as well as mothers in future.

Free Research Field

周産期医学、代謝・内分泌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

お母さんの肥満が次世代である子どもの将来の健康に悪影響を及ぼす可能性が明らかとなった。この現象には炎症が関連する可能性があり、まず妊娠前に減量することが必要であるが、妊娠前から妊娠中に魚油を摂取することがお母さんおよび次世代の健康のために有効である可能性が判明した。ただし、これらの結果はマウスにおける検討結果であり、今後、ヒトにおいて検討する必要があろう。