Early-life metabolic dysfunction impairs cognition and mitochondrial function in mice

The impact of overnutrition early in life is not restricted to the onset of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, but also affects critical brain functions related to cognition. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between peripheral metabolic and bioenergetic changes induced by a two-hit protocol and their impact on cognitive function in juvenile mice. Three-week-old male C57BL/6 mice received a high-fat diet (HFD) or control diet for 7 weeks, as-sociated with two low doses of streptozotocin (STZ) or vehicle. Despite the absence of obesity, HFD + STZ impaired glucose metabolism and induced a trend towards cholesterol increase. The two-hit protocol impaired recognition and spatial memories in juvenile mice, without inducing a depressive-like behavior. HFD + STZ mice presented increased immunoreactivity for GFAP and a trend towards a decrease in NeuN in the hippocampus. The treatment caused a bioen-ergetic impairment in the hippocampus, characterized by a decrease in both O 2 consumption related to ATP production and in the maximum respiratory capacity. The thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue was impaired by the two-hit protocol, here verified through the absence of a decrease in O 2 consumption after uncoupled protein-1 inhibition and an increase in the reserve respiratory capacity. Impaired mitochondrial function was also observed in the liver of HFD + STZ juvenile mice, but not in their heart. These results indicate that exposure to HFD + STZ early in life has a detrimental impact on the bioenergetic and mitochondrial function of tissues with metabolic and thermogenic activities, which is likely related to hippocampal metabolic changes and cognitive impairment.(c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between metabolic and bioenergetic changes induced by a two-hit protocol and cognitive function in mice. The results showed that the two-hit protocol, involving a high-fat diet and low doses of streptozotocin, impaired cognitive function and affected the energy metabolism in brain tissues. These findings highlight the detrimental impact of early overnutrition on cognitive function.