The effects of maternal obesity and taurine supplementation on pregnancy, fetal growth and development

This study aimed to examine the effect of maternal obesity and taurine supplementation on birth weight, body weights during lactation, adult offspring's plasma biochemical parameters, plasma free amino acid profile and whole genome microarray analysis in adult offspring's livers. Three week old female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups at the end of one week adaptation period. Female Wistar rats were fed a control (CON: Control, chow diet, n=6) diet, CON supplemented with taurine (CONT: Chow diet and taurine supplementation, n=7), cafeteria diet (CAF:Cafeteria diet, n=7) and CAF supplemented with taurine (CAFT: Cafeteria diet and taurine supplementation, n=7). Animals were supplemented with %1.5 taurine (w/v) in their drinking water. After 8 weeks all animals were mated. Dams were maintained on the same diets during pregnancy and lactation. At the end of lactation, one male and female offspring from every dam was separated and all dams and remaining offspring were euthanized. One male and female offspring from every dam weaned onto a control diet until 20 weeks of age. Animals were culled and plasma and tissue samples were taken at the end of 20th week. Adult male and female offspring's plasma free amino acid profile was determined using EZ:faast amino acid kit. Concentrations of biochemical parameters were measured in plasma samples using ELISA kits. Whole genome microarray analysis was performed on adult male and female offspring's livers. Maternal diet and taurine supplementation had no effect on birth weights (p>0.05). Maternal diet and taurine supplementation affected body weights of offspring during lactation and both CAF and CAFT pups were leaner than CON and CONT pups (p<0.001). Plasma glucose concentrations of adult offspring in CAFT group were lower than CONT group (p<0.05). Plasma leptin concentrations of adult offspring in CAF group were higher than CON group (p<0.05). It was found that maternal cafeteria diet and taurine supplementation may display protective effects on lipid metabolism as maternal cafeteria diet and taurine supplementation led to decresed Cd36 and Cyp7a1 expression in adult male offspring's liver and reduced hepatic expression of Acsm3 and Aldh1b1 genes in female offspring. As a result, maternal cafeteria diet and taurine supplementation affect some biochemical parameters and hepatic gene expression profile of adult offspring. Further research is required to assess the effects of taurine amino acid on fetal programming.