The fetus has a high requirement for cholesterol and synthesizes cholesterol at elevated rates. Recent studies suggest that fetal cholesterol also can be obtained from exogenous sources. The purpose of the current study was to examine the transport of maternal cholesterol to the fetus and determine the mechanism responsible for any cholesterol-driven changes in transport. Studies were completed in pregnant hamsters with normal and elevated plasma cholesterol concentrations. Cholesterol feeding resulted in a 3.1-fold increase in the amount of LDL-cholesterol taken up by the fetus and a 2.4-fold increase in the amount of HDL-cholesterol taken up. LDL-cholesterol was transported to the fetus primarily by the placenta, and HDL-cholesterol was transported by the yolk sac and placenta. Several proteins associated with sterol transport and efflux, including those induced by activated liver X receptor, were expressed in hamster and human placentas: NPC1, NPC1L1, ABCA2, SCP-x, and ABCG1, but not ABCG8. NPC1L1 was the only protein increased in hypercholesterolemic placentas. Thus, increasing maternal lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations can enhance transport of maternal cholesterol to the fetus, leading to 1) increased movement of cholesterol down a concentration gradient in the placenta, 2) increased lipoprotein secretion from the yolk sac (shown previously), and possi- Cholesterol is essential for normal fetal development. Possibly the most noted role of cholesterol is as a structural component of membranes. Sterols are also the precursor for bile acids, steroid hormones, and oxysterols, which are all synthesized by the fetus and regulate various cellular processes. Cholesterol is also required for activation of sonic hedgehog (Shh), a protein involved in brain development, and for propagation of the Shh signal (1, 2). Cholesterol is obtained endogenously by de novo synthesis and exogenously by transfer of maternal cholesterol to the fetus. Interestingly, maternal plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations increase during pregnancy in humans (3, 4), possibly an adaptation to maternal and fetal needs. However, whether these changes in maternal lipoprotein concentrations result in increased transport of maternal cholesterol to the fetus is unclear.Since the fetus does not come in direct contact with the maternal circulation, maternal cholesterol destined for the fetus must initially be taken up by the placenta and yolk sac prior to transport and delivery to the fetus. Indeed, the placenta and yolk sac take up maternal LDL-and HDLcholesterol at relatively elevated rates compared with other peripheral tissues (5). LDL is taken up by the LDL receptor (LDLR), which is expressed abundantly in the placenta but expressed at low levels, if at all, in the yolk sac (5, 6). LDL-derived sterol is transported to the lysosome/endosome pathway where the ester bond is hydrolyzed (7). The unesterified cholesterol is then transported by NiemannThese studies were supported by grants HD34089 (LAW) and GM31651 (FS) from the...

DA, Woollett LA. Multiparity leads to obesity and inflammation in mothers and obesity in male offspring. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 302: E449 -E457, 2012. First published November 29, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00487.2011.-Multiparity is an independent risk factor for obesity in parous females. In addition to being a health issue for the mother, offspring of multiparous females may also be at risk for obesity later in life. The aim of the current study was to establish a mouse model that mimics the human pathology of multiparity and determine the effects of multiparity-induced obesity (MIO) on offspring in adulthood. C57BL/6 mice were mated and studied when primiparous (1st pregnancy) or multiparous (4th pregnancy). Dams became obese with multiparity, an effect that was independent of the age of the dam. Multiparous dams also had increased markers of inflammation (JNK activation, cytokine expression) in adipose tissue and liver that was greater than inflammation in nulliparous females made obese with a high-fat diet. Placental inflammation was prevalent in multiparous vs. primiparous dams as well. Male offspring of the multiparous dams developed increased adiposity by 24 wk of age relative to the progeny of primiparous dams, although food consumption was similar in both groups. Lipid metabolism was altered in liver and fat in that mRNA levels of regulatory genes (PGC-1␣) as well as metabolic genes (CPT I) and Akt phosphorylation were decreased in offspring of multiparous dams. Thus, in mice, as in humans, multiparity increases adiposity and is associated with hepatic and placental inflammation and abnormal glucose tolerance. Importantly, MIO leads to increased body fat and metabolic dysfunction in the offspring, suggesting a role in the propagation of obesity. developmental programming; diabetes; peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ coactivator-1␣ OBESITY HAS BECOME AN EPIDEMIC in developed countries and is on the rise in underdeveloped countries. Consequently, a significant number of women in their reproductive years, including those that are pregnant, are obese or overweight (30, 31). Obesity during gestation poses a significant clinical problem since it is linked to a spectrum of maternal complications, including gestational diabetes, exaggerated inflammation, hypertension, thromboembolism, preeclamplsia, and delivery complications (26,31,55,62,69).Multiparity is a cause of weight gain in women during their reproductive years and is in fact an independent predictor of obesity (12,20). The increase in multiparity-induced obesity (MIO) has followed overall trends in obesity, since gestational weight gain is additive to prepregnancy weight and the inability to loose weight gained postpartum (51,53,54). Moreover, overweight women are more likely than leaner women to retain the weight gained during pregnancy (19). Thus, as the population becomes heavier, the effect of multiparity on body weight is amplified. Similar to obesity, pregnancy has been described as an inflammatory state, with the placenta cont...

The fetus requires significant energy for growth and development. Although glucose is a major source of energy for the fetus, other maternal nutrients also appear to promote growth. Thus, the goal of these studies was to determine whether triglyceride-rich remnants are taken up by the placenta and whether maternal dietary lipids, independently of adiposity, can impact fetal growth. To accomplish our first goal, chylomicron particles were duallly labeled with cholesteryl ester and triglycerides. The placenta took up remnant particles/core lipids at rates greater than adipose tissue and skeletal muscle but less than the liver. Although the placenta expresses apoE receptors, uptake of chylomicron remnants and/or core lipids can occur independently of apoE. To determine the impact of dietary lipid on fetal growth, independent of maternal adiposity, females were fed high-fat diets (HFD) for 1 mo; there was no change in adiposity or leptin levels prior to or during pregnancy of dams fed HFD. Fetal masses were greater in dams fed HFD, and mRNA levels of proteins involved in fatty acid oxidation (CPT I, PPARα), but not glucose oxidation (pyruvate kinase) or other regulatory processes (HNF-4α, LXR), were increased with maternal dietary fat. There was also no change in mRNA levels of proteins involved in placental glucose and fatty acid transport, and GLUT1 protein levels in microvillous membranes were similar in placentas of dams fed either diet. Thus, the ability of the placenta to take up chylomicron remnant core lipids likely contributes to accelerated fetal growth in females fed high fat diets.

Intraluminal concentrations of bile acids are low in newborn infants and increase rapidly after birth, at least partly owing to increased bile acid synthesis rates. The expansion of the bile acid pool is critical since bile acids are required to stimulate bile flow and absorb lipids, a major component of newborn diets. The purpose of the present studies was to determine the mechanism responsible for the increase in bile acid synthesis rates and the subsequent enlargement of bile acid pool sizes (BAPS) during the neonatal period, and how changes in circulating hormone levels might affect BAPS. In the hamster, pool size was low just after birth and increased modestly until 10.5 days postpartum (dpp). BAPS increased more significantly ( approximately 3-fold) between 10.5 and 15.5 dpp. An increase in mRNA and protein levels of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1), the rate-limiting step in classical bile acid synthesis, immediately preceded an increase in BAPS. In contrast, levels of oxysterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp7b1), a key enzyme in bile acid synthesis by the alternative pathway, were relatively elevated by 1.5 dpp. farnesyl X receptor (FXR) and short heterodimeric partner (SHP) mRNA levels remained relatively constant at a time when Cyp7a1 levels increased. Finally, although simultaneous increases in circulating cortisol and Cyp7a1 levels occurred, precocious expression of Cyp7a1 could not be induced in neonatal hamsters with dexamethasone. Thus the significant increase in Cyp7a1 levels in neonatal hamsters is due to mechanisms independent of the FXR and SHP pathway and cortisol.