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High-Fat Diet During the Perinatal Period Induces Loss of Myenteric Nitrergic Neurons and Increases Enteric Glial Density, Prior to the Development of Obesity
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

High-Fat Diet During the Perinatal Period Induces Loss of Myenteric Nitrergic Neurons and Increases Enteric Glial Density, Prior to the Development of Obesity

Caitlin A McMenamin, Courtney Clyburn, Caitlin A Howe and Kirsteen N Browning
Neuroscience, v 393, pp 369-380
21 Nov 2018
PMID: 30454864
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.09.033View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Restricted

Abstract

Animals Cell Proliferation - physiology Diet, High-Fat Female Intestine, Small - metabolism Myenteric Plexus - metabolism Neuroglia - metabolism Nitrergic Neurons - metabolism Nitrergic Neurons - pathology Obesity - etiology Obesity - metabolism Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Diet-induced obesity induces peripheral inflammation accompanied by a loss of myenteric neurons. Few studies, however, have investigated the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on either the development of myenteric neurons or prior to the occurrence of obesity. The present study assessed the effects of maternal HFD on the density and neurochemical phenotype of myenteric ganglia in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a control or HFD (14% or 60% kcal from fat, respectively) from embryonic day 13; the fundus, corpus and duodenum were fixed thereafter at postnatal 2, 4, 6 and 12 weeks of age for subsequent immunohistochemical studies. While myenteric ganglion size did not differ throughout the study, HFD exposure decreased the number of nitrergic neurons by 6 weeks of age in all regions. This decrease was accompanied by a loss of PGP-immunoreactive neurons, suggesting a decline in myenteric neuronal number. HFD also increased myenteric plexus glial cell density in all regions by 4 weeks of age. These changes occurred in the absence of an increase in serum or gastric inflammatory markers. The present study suggests that exposure to a HFD during the perinatal time period results in glial proliferation and loss of inhibitory nitrergic neurons prior to the onset of obesity, suggesting that dietary alterations may affect gastrointestinal functions independently of increased adiposity or glycemic dysregulation.

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Neurosciences
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