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Low vitamin D in pregnancy – epigenetic pancreas problems in offspring (mice) – May 2016

Maternal vitamin D-restricted diet has consequences in the formation of pancreatic islet/insulin-signaling in the adult offspring of mice.

Endocrine. 2016 May 3. [Epub ahead of print]
Maia-Ceciliano TC1, Barreto-Vianna AR1, Barbosa-da-Silva S1, Aguila MB1, Faria TS1, Mandarim-de-Lacerda CA2.
1Laboratorio de Morfometria, Metabolismo e Doenca Cardiovascular, Centro Biomedico, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado de Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Av. 28 de Setembro, 87 fds, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20551-030, Brazil.
2Laboratorio de Morfometria, Metabolismo e Doenca Cardiovascular, Centro Biomedico, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado de Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Av. 28 de Setembro, 87 fds, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20551-030, Brazil. mandarim at uerj.br.

The maternal deficiency of vitamin D can act on organogenesis in mice offspring, being a risk factor for chronic diseases in adulthood. This study investigates the effects of maternal deficiency of vitamin D on structural islet remodeling and insulin-signaling pathway in the offspring. We studied male C57Bl/6 offspring at 3-month old (n = 10/group) from mother fed one of the two diets: control diet (C) or vitamin D-restricted diet (VitD-). After weaning, offspring only fed the control diet ad libitum. In the offspring, we studied insulin production, islet remodeling, and islet protein expression of the insulin-signaling pathway (Western blotting, isolated islet, n = 5/group).
VitD- offspring showed

  • greater glycemia (P = 0.012),
  • smaller beta-cell mass (P = 0.014), and
  • hypoinsulinemia (P = 0.024) than C offspring.

Comparing VitD- offspring with C offspring, we observed

  • lower protein levels in islet of insulin (P = 0.003),
  • insulin receptor substrate-1 (P = 0.025),
  • phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (P = 0.045),
  • 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (P = 0.017),
  • protein kinase B (P = 0.028), with
  • reduced expression of pancreas/duodenum homeobox-1 (PDX-1) (P = 0.016),
  • glucose transporter-2 (P = 0.003), and
  • glucokinase (P = 0.045).

The maternal vitamin D-restricted diet modifies the development of the pancreas of the offspring, leading to islet remodeling and altered insulin-signaling pathway.
The decrease of PDX-1 is probably significant to the changes in the beta-cell mass and insulin secretion in adulthood.

PMID: 27142413 Publisher wants $40 for the PDF


See also VitaminDWiki