Perinatal exposure to germinated brown rice and its gamma amino-butyric acid-rich extract
prevents high fat diet-induced insulin resistance in first generation rat offspring
Sammanfattning
Background: Evidence suggests perinatal environments influence the risk of developing insulin
resistance.
Objective: The present study was aimed at determining the effects of intrauterine exposure to
germinated brown rice (GBR) and GBR-derived gamma (?) aminobutyric acid (GABA) extract on
epigenetically mediated high fat diet-induced insulin resistance.
Design: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were fed high-fat diet (HFD), HFD+GBR, or HFD+GABA
throughout pregnancy until 4 weeks postdelivery. The pups were weighed weekly and maintained on
normal pellet until 8 weeks postdelivery. After sacrifice, biochemical markers of obesity and insulin
resistance including oral glucose tolerance test, adiponectin, leptin, and retinol binding protein-4
(RBP4) were measured. Hepatic gene expression changes and the global methylation and histone
acetylation levels were also evaluated.
Results: Detailed analyses revealed that mothers given GBR and GABA extract, and their offspring
had increased adiponectin levels and reduced insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin
resistance, leptin, oxidative stress, and RBP4 levels, while their hepatic mRNA levels of GLUT2 and
IPF1 were increased. Furthermore, GBR and GABA extract lowered global DNA methylation levels and
modulated H3 and H4 acetylation levels.
Conclusions: These results showed that intrauterine exposure to GBR-influenced metabolic outcomes
in offspring of rats with underlying epigenetic changes and transcriptional implications that led to
improved glucose homeostasis.