Maternal high-fat diet programs offspring airway hyperinnervation and hyperresponsiveness

The impact of diet-induced maternal obesity on offspring airway hyperresponsiveness was studied in a diversity outbred mouse model that mirrors human genetic diversity. Female mice were started on high-fat or regular diet 8 weeks before breeding and throughout pregnancy and lactation. After weaning, all offspring were fed a regular diet. By 12 weeks, body weight and fat were increased in offspring of high-fat diet–fed dams, which was accompanied by metabolic dysfunction and hyperinsulinemia. This was followed by increased epithelial sensory innervation and increased bronchoconstriction to inhaled 5-hydroxytryptamine at 16 weeks. Bronchoconstriction was nerve mediated and blocked by vagotomy or atropine. A high-fat diet before pregnancy exerted the most influence on offspring airway physiology. Maternal obesity induced metabolic dysfunction and hyperinsulinemia, resulting in hyperinnervation and subsequent increased reflex-mediated hyperresponsiveness in their offspring. This is relevant to our understanding of asthma inheritance, considering the genetic diversity of humans.