Potential role of environment in utero on obesogenic and diabetogenic trait and a novel therapeutic target

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462558
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Masuyama Hisashi 岡山大学, 医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 准教授 (30314678)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HIRAMATSU Yuji 岡山大学大学院医歯薬学総合研究科, 産科婦人科学, 教授 (80218817)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 肥満 / 子宮内環境 / 次世代への影響 / メタボリック症候群 / アディポサイトカイン / 核内受容体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Obesity and insulin resistance in the mother might play a direct role in the transmission of an obesogenic and diabetogenic trait from generation to generation, but the role of genes and a shared environment are not completely understood.
We observed that a high fat diet induced obesity in pregnant mice resulted in hypertension, proteinuria, and macrosomia with insulin resistance and abnormal adipocytokine levels and that the exposure to a high fat diet in utero might lead to a metabolic syndrome-like phenomenon through epigenetic modifications of the genes encoding adipocytokines, adiponectin and leptin in the offspring. We also demonstrated that activation of constitutive androstane receptor ameliorated the glucose metabolism in both mothers and adult offspring. Epigenetic changes of adipocytokine genes might play important roles in the origin of metabolic syndrome in adulthood of offspring and constitutive androstane receptor might be a potential therapeutic target.

Free Research Field

周産期