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  • Maternal Metformin Interven...
    Schoonejans, Josca M; Blackmore, Heather L; Ashmore, Thomas J; Aiken, Catherine E; Fernandez-Twinn, Denise S; Ozanne, Susan E

    International journal of molecular sciences, 07/2021, Volume: 22, Issue: 15
    Journal Article

    Metformin is commonly used to treat gestational diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the effect of maternal metformin intervention during obese glucose-intolerant pregnancy on the gonadal white adipose tissue (WAT) of 8-week-old male and female mouse offspring. C57BL/6J female mice were provided with a control (Con) or obesogenic diet (Ob) to induce pre-conception obesity. Half the obese dams were treated orally with 300 mg/kg/d of metformin (Ob-Met) during pregnancy. Gonadal WAT depots from 8-week-old offspring were investigated for adipocyte size, macrophage infiltration and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes using RT-PCR. Gestational metformin attenuated the adiposity in obese dams and increased the gestation length without correcting the offspring in utero growth restriction and catch-up growth caused by maternal obesity. Despite similar body weight, the Ob and Ob-Met offspring of both sexes showed adipocyte hypertrophy in young adulthood. Male Ob-Met offspring had increased WAT depot weight ( < 0.05), exaggerated adipocyte hyperplasia ( < 0.05 vs. Con and Ob offspring), increased macrophage infiltration measured via histology ( < 0.05) and the mRNA expression of ( < 0.05). These changes were not observed in female Ob-Met offspring. Maternal metformin intervention during obese pregnancy causes excessive adiposity, adipocyte hyperplasia and WAT inflammation in male offspring, highlighting sex-specific effects of prenatal metformin exposure on offspring WAT.