The Impact of Maternal Obesity and Deprivation On Energy Metabolism, Oxidative Stress and Brain Antioxidant Defense in the Neurodevelopment of Offspring in the Short, Medium and Long Term

The current global obesity epidemic is often associated with changes in dietary habits and lifestyle. Increasing evidence from both observational and experimental animal studies has highlighted the relationship between prenatal exposures and an increased predisposition to metabolic and cognitive disorders, as well as obesity in adulthood. In this study, we used a rodent model to investigate brain energy metabolism by assessing mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I and II, along with oxidative stress markers (DCF) and antioxidant defenses (GSH and SOD), aiming to identify potential alterations in the central nervous system during offspring neurodevelopment. Our results demonstrated increased body weight and mesenteric fat accumulation in early life and adolescence, along with an imbalance in brain energy metabolism when maternal obesity and early-life stress (maternal deprivation) were combined. By exploring the complex interactions between gestational exposures and long-term behavioral and metabolic outcomes in an experimental model, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the developmental origins of health and disease.