Objective: We examined whether feeding pregnant and lactating rats hydrogenated fats rich in trans-fatty acids modifies the plasma lipid profiles and the expression of adipokines involved with insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease in their 21-d-old offspring.
Methods: Pregnant and lactating Wistar rats were fed with a control diet (C group) or one enriched with hydrogenated vegetable fat (T group). After delivery, male offspring were weighed weekly and killed at day 21 of life by decapitation. Blood and retroperitoneal, epididymal, and subcutaneous white adipose tissues were collected.
Results: Offspring of T-group rats had increased serum triacylglycerols and cholesterol, white adipose tissue plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene expression, and carcass lipid content and decreased blood leptin and adiponectin and adiponectin gene expression.
Conclusion: Ingestion of hydrogenated vegetable fat by the mother during gestation and lactation alters the blood lipid profiles and the expression of proinflammatory adipokynes by the adipose tissue of offspring aged 21 d.