Maternal blood glucose level is correlated to offspring brain fatty acid composition in a mouse model for gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may increase the risk of suboptimal neurocognitive development in infants. Maternal supply of omega-3 and -6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), including eicosapentaeonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid, are critical for offspring brain development. To study the effects of GDM on offspring brain fatty acid composition, C57BL/6J mice were exposed to short-term high-fat diet feeding and low-dose streptozotocin treatments before pregnancy.

Human milk oligosaccharides improve white matter and interneuron development in a double-hit rat model for preterm brain injury.

Mother's own milk is the preferred source of nutrition for preterm infants due to its beneficial compounds, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). HMOs support microbiota and immune development, but their effect on the preterm brain remains unstudied. Here, we examined the therapeutic potential of HMOs and short-chain galacto- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scGOS/lcFOS) in a preclinical model for encephalopathy of prematurity.

Correction: Beyond ingredients: Supramolecular structure of lipid droplets in infant formula affects metabolic and brain function in mouse models.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Social housing conditions, hierarchical status and testing order affect behavioral test outcomes of male C57BL6/J mice.

Male mice are frequently used for behavioral neuroscience research, but outcomes of behavioral tests are often variable across studies, contributing to poor reproducibility. Social housing conditions, social hierarchical status and within-cage order of testing are factors that likely influence behavioral outcomes, but it is unknown to what extent and if these factors interact. For this purpose, behavior of socially and individually housed male C57BL6/J mice was studied upon subjection to the open field test, the elevated plus-maze test and the three-chamber social test.

Grain versus AIN: Common rodent diets differentially affect health outcomes in adult C57BL/6j mice.

Semi-synthetic and grain-based diets are common rodent diets for biomedical research. Both diet types are considered nutritionally adequate to support breeding, growth, and long life, yet there are fundamental differences between them that may affect metabolic processes. We have characterized the effects of diet type on breeding outcomes, metabolic phenotype, and microbiota profile in adult mice.

Early-Life Exposure to Dietary Large Phospholipid-Coated Lipid Droplets Improves Markers of Metabolic and Immune Function in Adipose Tissue Later in Life in a Mouse Model.

Scope: Human milk (HM) is considered optimal nutrition for infants, beneficially programming adult health outcomes including reduced obesity risk. Early life exposure to infant formula with lipid droplets closely resembling the structural properties of HM lipid globules (Nuturis) attenuated white adipose tissue (WAT) accumulation in mice upon adult western-style diet (WSD) feeding. Here, the study aims to elucidate underlying mechanisms.

Maternal stress is associated with higher protein-bound amino acid concentrations in human milk.

Background: Maternal stress in the postpartum period affects not only the mother but also her newborn child, who is at increased risk of developing metabolic and mental disorders later in life. The mechanisms by which stress is transmitted to the infant are not yet fully understood. Human milk (HM) is a potential candidate as maternal stress affects various components of HM, e.

Infant formula containing large, milk phospholipid-coated lipid droplets and dairy lipids affects cognitive performance at school age.

Background: Breastfeeding has been positively associated with infant and child neurocognitive development and function. Contributing to this effect may be differences between human milk and infant formula in the milk lipid composition and milk fat globule structure.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an infant formula mimicking human milk lipid composition and milk fat globule structure on childhood cognitive performance.

Beyond ingredients: Supramolecular structure of lipid droplets in infant formula affects metabolic and brain function in mouse models.

Human milk beneficially affects infant growth and brain development. The supramolecular structure of lipid globules in human milk i.e.

The Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Effects of Early-Life Stress and Dietary Fatty Acids on Later-Life Central and Metabolic Outcomes in Mice.

Early-life stress (ELS) leads to increased vulnerability for mental and metabolic disorders. We have previously shown that a low dietary ω-6/ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio protects against ELS-induced cognitive impairments. Due to the importance of the gut microbiota as a determinant of long-term health, we here study the impact of ELS and dietary PUFAs on the gut microbiota and how this relates to the previously described cognitive, metabolic, and fatty acid profiles.

Early Life Exposure to a Diet With a Supramolecular Lipid Structure Close to That of Mammalian Milk Improves Early Life Growth, Skeletal Development, and Later Life Neurocognitive Function in Individually and Socially Housed Male C57BL/6J Mice.

Breastfeeding (duration) can be positively associated with infant growth outcomes as well as improved cognitive functions during childhood and later life stages. (Prolonged) exposure to optimal lipid quantity and quality, i.e.

Nutritional Supplementation Reduces Lesion Size and Neuroinflammation in a Sex-Dependent Manner in a Mouse Model of Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury.

Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is a major cause of neonatal brain injury, leading to long-term neurological impairments. Medical nutrition can be rapidly implemented in the clinic, making it a viable intervention to improve neurodevelopment after injury. The omega-3 (-3) fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5-3), uridine monophosphate (UMP) and choline have previously been shown in rodents to synergistically enhance brain phospholipids, synaptic components and cognitive performance.

Distinct Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids on Host Energy Balance and Fuel Homeostasis With Focus on Route of Administration and Host Species.

Accumulating evidence implicates gut-microbiota-derived metabolites as important regulators of host energy balance and fuel homeostasis, the underlying mechanisms are currently subject to intense research. In this review, the most important executors, short chain fatty acids, which both directly and indirectly fulfill the interactions between gut microbiota and host will be discussed. Distinct roles of individual short chain fatty acids and the different effects they exert on host metabolism have long been overlooked, which compromises the process of clarifying the sophisticated crosstalk between gut microbiota and its host.

Perspective: Moving Toward Desirable Linoleic Acid Content in Infant Formula.

Infant formula should provide the appropriate nutrients and adequate energy to facilitate healthy infant growth and development. If conclusive data on quantitative nutrient requirements are not available, the composition of human milk (HM) can provide some initial guidance on the infant formula composition. This paper provides a narrative review of the current knowledge, unresolved questions, and future research needs in the area of HM fatty acid (FA) composition, with a particular focus on exploring appropriate intake levels of the essential FA linoleic acid (LA) in infant formula.

Effects of Early-Life Stress, Postnatal Diet Modulation and Long-Term Western-Style Diet on Peripheral and Central Inflammatory Markers.

Early-life stress (ES) exposure increases the risk of developing obesity. Breastfeeding can markedly decrease this risk, and it is thought that the physical properties of the lipid droplets in human milk contribute to this benefit. A concept infant milk formula (IMF) has been developed that mimics these physical properties of human milk (Nuturis, N-IMF).

Individual housing of male C57BL/6J mice after weaning impairs growth and predisposes for obesity.

For (metabolic) research models using mice, singly housing is widely used for practical purposes to study e.g. energy balance regulation and derangements herein.

The Effects of Early Life Stress, Postnatal Diet Modulation, and Long-Term Western-Style Diet on Later-Life Metabolic and Cognitive Outcomes.

Early life stress (ES) increases the risk to develop metabolic and brain disorders in adulthood. Breastfeeding (exclusivity and duration) is associated with improved metabolic and neurocognitive health outcomes, and the physical properties of the dietary lipids may contribute to this. Here, we tested whether early life exposure to dietary lipids mimicking some physical characteristics of breastmilk (i.

Increasing availability of ω-3 fatty acid in the early-life diet prevents the early-life stress-induced cognitive impairments without affecting metabolic alterations.

Exposure to early-life stress (ES) is associated with cognitive and metabolic deficits in adulthood. The role of early nutrition in programming these long-term effects is largely unknown. We focused on essential ω-3 and ω-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) and investigated whether ES affects central and peripheral FA profiles, as well as if and how an early diet with increased availability of ω-3 LCPUFA ( via lowering ω-6/ω-3 ratio) protects against ES-induced impairments.

Supramolecular structure of dietary fat in early life modulates expression of markers for mitochondrial content and capacity in adipose tissue of adult mice.

Background: Previous studies have shown that early life nutrition can modulate the development of white adipose tissue and thereby affect the risk on obesity and metabolic disease later in life. For instance, postnatal feeding with a concept infant milk formula with large, phospholipid coated lipid droplets (Concept, Nuturis®), resulted in reduced adiposity in adult mice. The present study investigated whether differences in cell energy metabolism, using markers of mitochondrial content and capacity, may contribute to the observed effects.

A Postnatal Diet Containing Phospholipids, Processed to Yield Large, Phospholipid-Coated Lipid Droplets, Affects Specific Cognitive Behaviors in Healthy Male Mice.

Background: Infant cognitive development can be positively influenced by breastfeeding rather than formula feeding. The composition of breast milk, especially lipid quality, and the duration of breastfeeding have been linked to this effect.

Objective: We investigated whether the physical properties and composition of lipid droplets in milk may contribute to cognitive development.

Milk fat globule membrane coating of large lipid droplets in the diet of young mice prevents body fat accumulation in adulthood.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated protective effects of breast-feeding on childhood obesity. Differences between human milk and infant milk formula (IMF) in dietary lipid structure may contribute to this effect. In our mouse model, feeding a diet containing large lipid droplets coated with phospholipids (PL) (Nuturis®; PL of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) fraction origin) in early life protected against excessive body fat accumulation following a diet challenge in adult life.

Acute and Chronic Effects of Dietary Lactose in Adult Rats Are not Explained by Residual Intestinal Lactase Activity.

Neonatal rats have a high intestinal lactase activity, which declines around weaning. Yet, the effects of lactose-containing products are often studied in adult animals. This report is on the residual, post-weaning lactase activity and on the short- and long-term effects of lactose exposure in adult rats.

Postnatal dietary fatty acid composition permanently affects the structure of hypothalamic pathways controlling energy balance in mice.

Background: We previously reported that dietary lipid quality during early life can have long-lasting effects on metabolic health and adiposity. Exposure to a postnatal diet with low dietary omega-6 (n-6) or high omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid (FA) content resulted in reduced body fat accumulation when challenged with a moderate Western-style diet (WSD) beginning in adolescence.

Objective: We determined whether this programming effect is accompanied by changes in hypothalamic neural projections or modifications in the postnatal leptin surge, which would indicate the altered development of hypothalamic circuits that control energy balance.

Effect of dietary lipid structure in early postnatal life on mouse adipose tissue development and function in adulthood.

Obese individuals have more (hyperplastic) and larger (hypertrophic) adipocytes in their white adipose tissue (WAT) than normal-weight individuals. The difference in cell number emerges early in childhood, suggesting that this is a critical period for being susceptible to obesity. Breast-feeding has been shown to be protective against obesity, and we have previously shown in mice that the physical structure of lipids in human milk may contribute to this protective effect.