Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40373797›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroendocrinology2025

Maternal high fat and high sugar diet impacts on key DNA methylation enzymes in offspring brain in a sex-specific manner.

Kahyee Hor, Laura Dearden, Emily Herzstein, Susan Ozanne, Giles Hardingham, Amanda J Drake

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroendocrinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Maternal Nutrition, Toxicants, and Epigenetic Programming of Obesity Across Generations.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Kahyee HorCentre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3995-0655
Laura DeardenUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Emily HerzsteinCentre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Susan OzanneUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Giles HardinghamUK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, UK.
Amanda J DrakeCentre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Funding

Wellcome Trust 209879Wellcome Trust 209879/Z/17/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Maternal obesity associates with an increased risk of offspring neurodevelopmental disorders. Although the underlying mechanism(s) remain unclear, evidence suggests a role for altered DNA methylation. We utilized a murine model of diet-induced obesity to investigate the impact of maternal obesity on the offspring brain transcriptome and DNA methylation. C57Bl/6 dams were fed high-fat high-sugar (HFD, n = 7) or control (CON, n = 7) diets. Maternal obesity/hyperglycemia associated with offspring growth restriction, with brain-sparing specifically in females. Postnatal hypoglycemia was seen in HFD males, but not females. The 3' RNA-sequencing revealed perturbations in metabolic and cell differentiation pathways in neonatal male and female offspring frontal cortex and cerebellum. Compared with controls, HFD males, but not females, had lower cortical and cerebellar DNMT gene and protein expression, and reduced cerebellar TET enzyme mRNA. Whilst female offspring had lower cerebellar 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) than males, there were no effects of HFD on 5mC/5hmC in cortex or cerebellum in either sex. Our data suggest that maternal obesity has sex-specific effects on fetal neurodevelopment, including enzymes involved in DNA methylation/demethylation. These mechanisms may play a role in the increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders following obese/diabetic pregnancies, including increased male susceptibility to these disorders.

Indexed as

BrainDietary SugarsDiet, High-FatDNA MethylationPregnancy in ObesityPrenatal Exposure Delayed Effects5-MethylcytosineAnimalsFemaleMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPregnancySex Characteristics5-MethylcytosineDietary SugarsDNA methylationepigeneticsneurodevelopmentobesitypregnancy

Identifiers

PMID40373797
PMCPMC7617894

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.