Diets enriched with extra virgin olive oil prevent alterations in the uterus of female fetuses and prepubertal offspring of diabetic rats.

Abstract

Alterations in prolactin and PPAR pathways, involved in decidualization, are programmed in the decidualized uterus of prepubertal offspring of diabetic dams. Here, we investigated whether these alterations are also present in the fetal uterus of diabetic dams and evaluated pro-oxidant/pro-inflammatory markers in the uterus of fetuses and offspring of diabetic dams. We also tested whether these parameters are regulated by maternal diets enriched with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Control and mild pregestational diabetic female Albino Wistar rats, mated with control males, were fed diets enriched or not with 6% EVOO during pregnancy. Fetuses were evaluated on day 21 of pregnancy, and offspring on postnatal day 30 after induction of uterine decidualization. In the fetuses of diabetic dams, the uterus showed reduced prolactin levels and reduced prolactin receptor expression, alterations that were no longer observed when the dams received the EVOO-enriched diet. Reduced PPARγ expression and increased levels of its negative regulator miR-19b were found in the fetal uteri of diabetic dams, alterations persisting when the dams received the EVOO-enriched diet. Markers of the pro-inflammatory state were not increased in the fetal uteri, but were increased in the decidualized uteri of the offspring of diabetic dams, alterations that were prevented by the maternal EVOO-enriched diet. Increased uterine lipoperoxidation markers were found both at the fetal stage and in the offspring of diabetic dams, alterations prevented by the maternal EVOO-enriched diet. Our results demonstrate a beneficial role of EVOO-enriched maternal diet in the programming of uterine impairments.