Perinatal androgen exposure and adipose tissue programming: is there an impact on body weight fate?

Abstract

Obesity is a major concern in public health because it is one of the main risk factors for the development of non-transmissible chronic diseases. The fact that there is a clear sex dimorphism in normal body fat distribution points out the role of sex steroids as key factors in the regulation and function of the adipose cell. Androgens affect adipogenesis and fat metabolism in the adipose tissue of males and females. Hormonal disorders during pregnancy may affect the fetal tissues, with long-term implications leading to the development of pathologies during adult life. Obesity and metabolic disease are among these. In this regard, animal models have demonstrated an abnormal fat distribution and modifications in the size and function of adipose cells in the female and male offspring of mothers exposed to androgen excess during pregnancy.

Keywords:

• adipocyte
• androgens
• fetal programming
• obesity
• pregnancy

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (National Fund for Scientific and Technological Research, Fondecyt, Grant 11130250 and 11130126).

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors received a Chilean National Fund for Scientific and Technological Research, Fondecyt, Grant 11130250 and 11130126. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Key issues

• Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated the importance of fetal life on the predisposition for long-term deleterious consequences, such as obesity and metabolic diseases.

• The role of androgens during pregnancy is not well understood. However, increased androgen levels have been reported in pregnancy-related pathologies.

• White adipose tissue is localized in two main depots, namely, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue. They have different metabolic functions, and abnormalities in these compartments can lead to important dysfunctions resulting in insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

• Androgens affect early stages of adipogenesis, inhibiting the differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells to pre-adipocytes. Moreover, they have a dual action on lipolysis, depending of the fat depot and sex.

• Overall, animal models of prenatal androgenization demonstrate that the offspring increases fat accumulation in the abdominal region and alters the adipocyte size, increasing the risk to develop obesity and metabolic diseases.