High dietary cholesterol intake during lactation promotes development of fatty liver in offspring of mice

Scope: We have previously demonstrated in mice that a maternal high fat diet during lactation enhances the susceptibility of offspring to obesity and fatty liver. A causative molecule, however, is yet to be identified. Therefore, we examined the role of cholesterol, the dietary intake of which increases with consumption of a high fat diet. Excessive cholesterol intake is involved in the development of fatty liver, which in turn becomes a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. However, our knowledge of the influences on offspring of excessive maternal cholesterol intake alone during pregnancy and lactation is limited. We examined how excessive maternal cholesterol intake during lactation influences susceptibility of the offspring to metabolic syndrome in mice. Results: High cholesterol intake promoted triacylglycerol accumulation in the liver of offspring (p < 0.05), and elevated expression of molecules involved in hepatic lipoprotein influx was identified as the underlying mechanism. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that excessive maternal cholesterol intake during lactation enhances the susceptibility of the offspring to development of fatty liver.