Objective: To investigate the effect of pregnant nutritional manipulation on offspring mRNA expression of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK).
Methods: Wistar pregnant rats fed on standard diet and high protein diet (HPD), respectively. The male offspring were divided into control and high protein group (HP) in accordance with the diets of their dams. Offspring were cross-fostered and fed on standard diet after weaning. At adult, some offspring randomly selected from control group, namely as high fat control (HFC), HFC and HP group rats fed on high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity. At different stages, tissue was collected for analyzing expression of FAS and PEPCK mRNA by fluorescent quantitation PCR.
Results: In HP, body weight and obesity rates were decreased after weaning and HFD (P < 0.05). The abundance of PEPCK mRNA was persistently decreased in HP, and the abundance of FAS mRNA in HP was down-regulated before and after HFD vs. control or HFC.
Conclusion: The increase of protein intake during pregnancy could decrease the expression of FAS and PEPCK mRNA, and prevent offspring from HFD-induced obesity in adult.