Abstract-Epidemiological studies suggest an association between maternal nutrition and offspring cardiovascular disease.We previously demonstrated endothelial dysfunction and abnormal aortic fatty acid composition in adult female offspring of rats fed animal lard during pregnancy. We have now further investigated this model. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a control breeding diet (5.3% fat) or a diet rich in lard (25.7% fat) 10 days before and throughout pregnancy and lactation. Male and female offspring were implanted with radiotelemeters for recording of blood pressure, heart rate, and activity at 80, 180, and 360 days of age. Reactivity to acetylcholine and to nitric oxide were assessed in isolated small mesenteric arteries from 80-and 180-day-old littermates. Systolic blood pressure (awake phase) was raised in female offspring (180

Epidemiological and animal studies suggest that diet-induced epigenetic modifications in early life can contribute to development of the metabolic syndrome in adulthood. We previously reported features of the metabolic syndrome in adult offspring of rats fed a diet rich in animal fat during pregnancy and suckling. We now report a study to compare the relative effects of high-fat feeding during 1) pregnancy and 2) the suckling period in the development of these disorders. As observed previously, 6-mo-old female offspring of fat-fed dams suckled by the same fat-fed dams (OHF) demonstrated raised blood pressure, despite being fed a balanced diet from weaning. Female offspring of fat-fed dams "cross fostered" to dams consuming a control diet during suckling (OHF/C) demonstrated raised blood pressure compared with controls (OC) [systolic blood pressure (SBP; mmHg) means +/- SE: OHF/C, 132.5 +/- 3.0, n = 6 vs. OC, 119.0 +/- 3.8, n = 7, P < 0.05]. Female offspring of controls cross fostered to dams consuming the fat diet (OC/HF) were also hypertensive [SBP (mmHg) 131.0 +/- 2.5 mmHg, n = 6 vs. OC, P < 0.05]. Endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) of male and female OHF and OHF/C mesenteric small arteries was similar and blunted compared with OC (P < 0.001). OC/HF arteries showed profoundly impaired EDR (OC/HF vs. OHF, P < 0.001). OHF/C and OC/HF demonstrated hyperinsulinemia and increased adiposity. Features of the metabolic syndrome in adult offspring of fat-fed rats can be acquired both antenatally and during suckling. However, exposure during pregnancy confers adaptive protection against endothelial dysfunction induced by maternal fat feeding during suckling.

Background-Population-based studies suggest that fetal adaptive responses to maternal dietary imbalance confer survival benefit when the postnatal diet remains suboptimal but increase susceptibility to cardiovascular disease when postnatal nutrition is improved. We have investigated "predictive adaptive" responses in a rodent model in which adult offspring of fat-fed dams develop characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. Methods and Results-Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a fat-rich diet or normal chow throughout pregnancy and weaning.Vascular endothelial function and blood pressure were determined in 180-day-old offspring of fat-fed dams raised on standard chow (FC) or on the fat-rich diet (FF) and in offspring of chow-fed dams raised on chow (CON

Evidence from human and animal studies suggests that maternal nutrition can induce developmental programming of adult hypertension in offspring. We have previously described a model of maternal dietary imbalance in Sprague-Dawley rats whereby administration of a maternal diet rich in animal lard programmes the development of increased blood pressure, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, obesity and mesenteric artery endothelial dysfunction in adult offspring. To further characterize the mechanism of hypertension in this model we have examined vascular and renal structure in adult offspring of Sprague-Dawley rats fed a control diet (OC) or lard-rich diet (OHF) during pregnancy and suckling followed by a control diet post-weaning. To gain further insight, we assessed aortic reactivity and elasticity in an organ bath preparation and renal renin and Na + ,K + -ATPase activity. Plasma aldosterone concentration was also measured. Stereological examination of the aorta in OHF demonstrated reduced endothelial cell volume and smooth muscle cell number compared with OC. Adult OHF animals showed increased aortic stiffness and reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation. Renal stereology showed no differences in kidney weight, glomerular number or volume in OHF compared with OC, but renin and Na + ,K + -ATPase activity were significantly reduced in OHF compared with controls. Programmed alterations to aortic structure and function are consistent with previous observations that exposure to maternal high fat diets produces systemic vascular changes in the offspring. Despite normal renal stereology, altered renal Na + ,K + -ATPase and renin activity offers further insight into the mechanism underlying the increased blood pressure characteristic of this model.

We hypothesised that maternal uterine artery vascular dysfunction could contribute to cardiovascular dysfunction in offspring of rats fed a diet rich in fat. Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed for 10 days prior to pregnancy and throughout gestation either: (a) a control breeding diet, or (b) the same diet supplemented with 20% w/w lard, vitamins, essential micronutrients and protein to control values. At 20 days gestation vascular function was assessed in uterine arteries and third‐order mesenteric arteries. Vascular reactivity in response to application of potassium, noradrenaline, the thromboxane analogue U46619, acetylcholine and nitric oxide was assessed. Maternal plasma concentrations of factors likely to contribute to endothelial dysfunction were measured. Maximum acetylcholine‐induced relaxation was impaired in the mesenteric arteries of the lard‐fed dams (max% relaxation: lard‐fed, 69.7 ± 6.48; control, 85.37 ± 2.69, P = 0.03). Uterine artery vascular function was similar in the two groups (max% acetylcholine‐induced relaxation: lard‐fed, 73.7 ± 4.01; control, 77.5 ± 4.72, P = 0.98). Concentrations of plasma lipids, 8‐epi‐PGF2α and leptin were normal, whereas insulin and corticosterone concentrations were raised in the lard‐fed group (insulin (ng ml−1): lard‐fed, 8.04 ± 0.47; control, 1.35 ± 0.37, P < 0.0001; corticosterone (ng ml−1): lard‐fed, 1164.0 ± 170.9; control, 541.9 ± 96.3, P = 0.005). Fetal and placental weights were reduced in lard‐fed dams (fetus (g): lard‐fed, 4.27 ± 0.38; control, 2.96 ± 0.40, P = 0.025; placenta (g): lard‐fed, 0.72 ± 0.06; control, 0.57 ± 0.04, P = 0.05). Cardiovascular dysfunction in offspring is not associated with reduced uterine artery endothelial function but is associated with activation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis, hyperinsulinaemia and fetoplacental growth retardation.