D-065
Impact of a cafeteria diet on neurodevelopment and reproductive function in female mice
Claudio Dario Barrios1,2,4, Evelin Mariel Elia1,3,4, Amaicha Mara Depino1,3,4
  1. INSTITUTO DE FISIOLOGÍA, BIOLOGÍA MOLECULAR Y NEUROCIENCIAS
  2. Departamento de fisiología, biología molecular y celular
  3. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental
  4. CONICET
Presenting Author:
Claudio Dario Barrios
claudiobarr94@gmail.com
Early nutrition is a critical factor for an individual’s development and can affect health throughout life. Hypercaloric diets, rich in sugars and fats, have been associated with metabolic, neurobiological, and reproductive alterations. In this study, were evaluated the effects in female mice of a cafeteria diet —CAF, characterized by a combination of highly palatable sweet and salty foods— from postnatal day 21 to 119. The animals underwent behavioral testing in adulthood, and after euthanasia, brain analyses and reproductive evaluations were performed. After 14 weeks on the cafeteria diet, we observed an increase in body weight, accompanied by elevated glucose and cholesterol levels —two metabolites linked to metabolic syndrome— while triglyceride levels remained unchanged. Additionally, across several behavioral tests the results showed a significant reduction in spontaneous locomotion and exploration, suggesting motor impairment in the CAF animals. At the brain level, markers of neuroinflammation were observed in the dorsal striatum and prefrontal cortex. In the reproductive axis, alterations were found in the number of ovarian follicles in females exposed to the cafeteria diet, along with a significant increase in serum estradiol levels. Taken together, these findings indicate that early and prolonged exposure to a cafeteria-type diet induces a phenotype characterized by locomotor hypoactivity, neuroinflammation, and reproductive alterations.