Effect of Maternal Obesity on Placental Lipid Metabolism.

Obese women, on average, give birth to babies with high fat mass. Placental lipid metabolism alters fetal lipid delivery, potentially moderating neonatal adiposity, yet how it is affected by maternal obesity is poorly understood. We hypothesized that fatty acid (FA) accumulation (esterification) is higher and FA β-oxidation (FAO) is lower in placentas from obese, compared with lean women.

Effect of ω-3 supplementation on placental lipid metabolism in overweight and obese women.

Background: The placentas of obese women accumulate lipids that may alter fetal lipid exposure. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (n–3 FAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) alter FA metabolism in hepatocytes, although their effect on the placenta is poorly understood.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether n–3 supplementation during pregnancy affects lipid metabolism in the placentas of overweight and obese women at term.

Sex-specific effects of maternal anthropometrics on body composition at birth.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess whether maternal factors that are associated with fetal lean and fat mass differ between sexes.

Study Design: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort that delivered by scheduled cesarean section from 2004-2013. Maternal blood was collected before surgery for metabolic parameters.

Regulation of hepatic GLUT8 expression in normal and diabetic models.

GLUT8 is a novel glucose transporter protein that is widely distributed in tissues including liver, a central organ of regulation of glucose homeostasis. The purpose of the current study was to investigate expression and regulation of hepatic GLUT8 mRNA and protein. Therefore, Northern and immunoblot analysis, semiquantitative RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence microscopy were performed using mouse livers at different stages of embryonic and postnatal development and in type 1 (streprozotocin treated) and type 2 (GLUT4 heterozygous) diabetes.