Consumption of a high-fat diet during pregnancy changes the expression of cytochrome P450 in the livers of infant male mice.

It has been recently reported that the consumption of a high-fat diet during pregnancy exerts various effects on fetuses and newborn mice. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a high-fat diet during pregnancy on the expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) in the livers of offspring. Mouse dams were fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy from the time of conception. After their birth, the newborn mice were fed a normal diet until 12 weeks of age. In the livers of the infant male mice that consumed a high-fat diet, the protein expression of CYP3A and CYP2C was decreased, and the protein expression of CYP1A and CYP2E was increased at 6 and 12 weeks of age. However, almost no changes were observed in the CYP proteins at 6 and 12 weeks of age in the livers of the infant female mice that consumed a high-fat diet. The amount of pregnane X receptor (PXR) translocated into the nucleus was reduced in the livers of infant male mice that consumed a high-fat diet. However, there was neither an increase in tumor necrosis factor-α or interleukin-1ß nor a decrease in lithocholic acid. These data suggested that CYP3A and CYP2C might decrease as a result of the decrease in the amount of nuclear PXR in infant male mice that consumed a high-fat diet. The results of this study suggested that the consumption of a high-fat diet by pregnant mothers may be one explanation for individual differences in pharmacokinetics.

Consumption of a high-fat diet during pregnancy decreases the activity of cytochrome P450 3a in the livers of offspring.

Recent studies have reported that a high-fat diet during pregnancy exerts various effects on the foetus and newborn. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of a high-fat diet during pregnancy on the activity of hepatic cytochrome P450 (Cyp) 3a in offspring in mice. The protein expression level and activity of Cyp3a in the livers of 6-week-old mice born to mothers that were given a high-fat diet during pregnancy (HF group) decreased significantly compared with the Control group. Triazolam, which is a substrate of Cyp3a, was intraperitoneally administered to the mice in the HF group. Compared with the Control group, an increase in the area under the plasma concentration-time curve and a decrease in total clearance were observed in the HF group. The hepatic constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) mRNA expression level in the HF group was significantly lower than that in the Control group. An increase in phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was also observed in the HF group. The results of this study revealed that a high-fat diet during pregnancy causes an increase in ERK phosphorylation and a decrease in the expression level of CAR in the livers of offspring, which leads to decreased Cyp3a expression and activity. The results suggest that individual differences in pharmacokinetics may not only be expressed by genetic predisposition but also by a mother's living environment during pregnancy.