Exercise during pregnancy mitigates negative effects of parental obesity on metabolic function in adult mouse offspring

Parental health influences embryonic development and susceptibility to disease in the offspring. We investigated whether maternal voluntary running during gestation could protect the offspring from the adverse effects of maternal or paternal high-fat diet (HF) in mice. We performed transcriptomic and whole-genome DNA methylation analyses in female offspring skeletal muscle and targeted DNA methylation analysis of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (Pgc-1 alpha) promoter in both male and female adult offspring. Maternal HF resulted in impaired metabolic homeostasis in male offspring at 9mo of age, whereas both male and female offspring were negatively impacted by paternal HF. Maternal exercise during gestation completely mitigated these metabolic impairments. Female adult offspring from obese male or female parent had skeletal muscle transcriptional profiles enriched in genes regulating inflammation and immune responses, whereas maternal exercise resulted in a transcriptional profile similar to offspring from normal chow (NC)-fed parents. Maternal HF, but not paternal HF, resulted in hypermethylation of the Pgc-1 alpha promoter at CpG-260, which was abolished by maternal exercise. These findings demonstrate the negative consequences of maternal and paternal HF for the offspring's metabolic outcomes later in life possibly through different epigenetic mechanisms, and maternal exercise during gestation mitigates the negative consequences. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Maternal or paternal obesity causes metabolic impairment in adult offspring in mice. Maternal exercise during gestation can completely mitigate metabolic impairment. Maternal obesity, but not paternal obesity, results in hypermethylation of the Pgc-1 alpha promoter at CpG-260, which can be abolished by maternal exercise.

Automated summary

Parental health affects offspring's development and disease susceptibility. Maternal high-fat diet negatively impacts metabolic homeostasis in male offspring, while paternal high-fat diet affects both male and female offspring. Maternal exercise during gestation can prevent these negative effects, with maternal obesity leading to hypermethylation of the Pgc-1 alpha promoter in offspring.