LAUSR

The role of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the brain on developmental programming of hypertension is poorly understood. The present study aimed to explore the dysregulated tissue levels of SCFAs and expression of SCFA-sensing receptors in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a key forebrain region engaged in neural regulation of blood pressure, of offspring to maternal high fructose diet (HFD) exposure. We further investigated the engagement of SCFA-sensing receptors in the PVN on the beneficial effects of -biotics (prebiotic, probiotic, synbiotic and postbiotic) on programmed hypertension primed by maternal HFD. Maternal HFD during gestation and lactation significantly reduced circulating butyrate, along with decreased tissue level of butyrate and increased expression of the SCFA-sensing receptors, GPR41 and olfr78, in the PVN of HFD offspring that could be rectified by oral supplement with prebiotic, probiotic, or synbiotic. The maternal HFD-primed programmed hypertension in adult offspring was accompanied by tissue oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the PVN, both of which were reversed by oral supplement with the -biotics. Gene silencing of GPR41 or olfr78 mRNA in the PVN also protected adult HFD offspring from programmed hypertension and alleviated the induced oxidative stress and inflammation in the PVN. In addition, oral supplement with the postbiotic butyrate notably restored tissue butyrate level and rectified the expressions of GPR41 and olfr78 in the PVN of HFD offspring. The same treatment also protected against programmed hypertension in adult HFD offspring. These data together suggest that alterations in tissue butyrate level and expression of the SCFA-sensing receptors of GPR41 and olfr78, as well as activation of the SCFA-sensing receptor-dependent tissue oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the PVN could be novel mechanisms that underlie hypertension programmed by maternal HFD exposure in adult offspring. Furthermore, oral -biotics supplementation may exert beneficial effects on hypertension of developmental origin by targeting the dysfunctional SCFA-sensing receptors in the PVN to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions in the brain. This research was funded in part by the Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Taiwan (grant number: OMRPG8G0011), and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (grant number: MOST111-2320-B-182A-015). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.