Effect of Polyphenols Intake on Obesity-Induced Maternal Programming

Abstract

Excess caloric intake and body fat accumulation lead to obesity, a complex chronic disease that represents a significant public health problem due to the health-related risk factors. There is growing evidence showing that maternal obesity can program the offspring, which influences neonatal phenotype and predispose offspring to metabolic disorders such as obesity. This increased risk may also be epigenetically transmitted across generations. Thus, there is an imperative need to find effective reprogramming approaches in order to resume normal fetal development. Polyphenols are bioactive compounds found in vegetables and fruits that exert its anti-obesity effect through its powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Polyphenol supplementation has been proven to counteract the prejudicial effects of maternal obesity programming on progeny. Indeed, some polyphenols can cross the placenta and protect the fetal predisposition against obesity. The present review summarizes the effects of dietary polyphenols on obesity-induced maternal reprogramming as an offspring anti-obesity approach.

Keywords: adipose tissue; bioactive compounds; maternal obesity; metabolic disorders; nutraceutical.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-obesity effects of the main polyphenols.

Figure 2

Schematic representation of polyphenol effect on obesity-induced maternal programming. The recruitment of the first wave of transcription factors (C/EBPβ, SREBP-1C, and ZFP423) take place during adipocyte differentiation, leading to the conversion of the histone bivalent state to an active state. These transcription factors, in turn, promote an open state of chromatin in regions containing genes involved in the second wave of transcription factors, among which PPARγ and CEBPα stand out. The second wave of transcription factors induces the expression of pro-adipogenic genes such as LEP, SLC2A4, and ADIPOQ. Maternal obesity is also involved in the regulation of pro-adipogenic transcription factors such as ZFP423, C/EBPβ, and PPARγ during adipogenesis in the perinatal period and affects the offspring. Polyphenol supplementation could counteract the detrimental effects of maternal obesity programming on the progeny by negatively regulating adipogenesis via inhibiting PPARγ, ZFP423, and C/EBPα.