This project is focused on preventing cardiovascular disease in offspring of diabetic mothers (ODMs). The prevalence of diabetes during pregnancy is escalating, and one third of all infants born to diabetic mothers (IDMs) have cardiac hypertrophy at birth. Despite a healthy lifestyle, IDMs carry a risk of cardiovascular disease into adulthood, proposedly through fuel mediated fetal programming. Current preventative measures focus on glucose control, but normoglycemic women can have affected infants, implicating additional fuel- mediated offenders, including lipids. The relative contribution of excess circulating lipids in developmental programming of cardiac disease is not well recognized, or studied. To better understand this, our research plan utilizes a rodent model of late-gestation diabetes, with a control- or high-fat diet, to simulate cardiac disease experienced by IDMs. Using this model, we mimicked human maternal-placental-fetal interactions, reproducing a triad of maternal hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and fetal hyperinsulinemia. Under these conditions, newborn offspring were affected by cardiac hypertrophy, poor systolic function similar to IDMs. Unexpectedly, we demonstrated that a maternal high-fat diet, not diabetes, markedly increased perinatal mortality in newborns. Offspring that died had enlarged hearts with marked lipid droplet accumulation. Array analysis pointed to altered expression in genes regulating cardiac energy metabolism. These preliminary findings prompted generation of a bioenergetic hypothesis of fuel-mediated developmental programming. Due to its very high energy needs, the heart can rapidly transport, store, and utilize different substrates for energy. Normally, neonatal hearts ar efficient at glycolysis, but adult hearts prefer fatty acid oxidation as a more efficient source of ATP. We propose that exposing the developing heart to excess circulating fuels reprograms substrate metabolism and energy production efficiency, and furthermore, this reprogramming contributes to ongoing cardiac risk throughout life. My lab has validated all proposed methods, collected mounting preliminary data to support our hypothesis, and is now poised to further determine the underlying mechanisms and long-term consequences of maternal diabetes and high-fat diet on the developing heart.
We aim to do this through evaluation of structural, functional, histopathologic, cardiovascular risk and bioenergetic markers of cardiac health in our offspring throughout their maturation. My long-term career goal is to understand developmental consequences of maternal or neonatal lipid disturbances, and identify preventative strategies to improve long-term outcomes of high-risk infants. The objective of this application is to utilize th mentored clinical scientist program to establish an independently funded basic science program to study the contribution of excess circulating lipid associated with high-fat intake and diabetic pregnancy in the developmental programming of cardiac disease in offspring. As the candidate, my ability to establish a solid foundation of both basic and clinical research, in addition to year of clinical experience, make me an ideal clinical scientist to take scientific discovery from the bench to the bedside. My scientific foundation has grown rapidly from one translational study evaluating fatty acid levels in human milk samples to the simultaneous implementation of a randomized clinical trial and the development of a basic science laboratory studying lipid-mediated developmental programming. Establishing independently funded research will require that scientific findings reach significance in the field. To accomplish this, a career development plan was established to aid in growth towards fluent independent investigation using a structured, goal-oriented, timeline of presentation, publication and grant submissions. The plan utilizes committed resources, a rich and collaborative institutional environment, and guidance of a trans- disciplinary mentoring team. The unique role of two well-suited co-mentors ensures that day-to-day guidance of both basic science and clinical research is readily available from well established local mentors, Dr. David Pearce and Dr. William Harris. Scientific oversight is enhanced through quarterly advisory committee meetings that include Dr. Norris and Dr. Segar, clinical scientists with proven success in their fields of lipid biochemistry and developmental programming of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Eugene Hoyme, a third advisory committee member, adds leadership and professional development guidance through the advisory committee and monthly Pediatric Mentoring Program meetings. (See Statement by Mentor and Biosketches) The combination of a truly translational candidate, a committed and fostering institution, a customized mentoring team and an innovative research plan with high significance provide the perfect arrangement for a successful clinical scientist in your program. We predict that completion of this project will substantiate the harmful effects of maternal dyslipidemia associated with diabetes and a high-fat diet on the developing fetal heart and promises hope of preventing cardiovascular disease even before it begins.

Public Health Relevance

Babies born to women with diabetes or obesity during their pregnancy have a significant risk of heart disease at birth and throughout life, even despite a healthy lifestyle as they grow up. Based on work in our lab, we believe that exposing the developing baby to high levels of circulating fat during a diabetic pregnancy plays a role in 'programming' this risk. We aim to discover how this happens and if limiting mom's fat intake during the pregnancy can prevent adult onset heart disease in her baby, even before it is born. Finding this answer will decrease the incidence of heart disease in this growing U.S. population.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08HD078504-03
Application #
9108990
Study Section
Biobehavioral and Behavioral Sciences Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
Raiten, Daniel J
Project Start
2014-08-01
Project End
2019-06-30
Budget Start
2016-07-01
Budget End
2017-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Sanford Research/Usd
Department
Type
DUNS #
050113252
City
Sioux Falls
State
SD
Country
United States
Zip Code
57104
Louwagie, Eli J; Larsen, Tricia D; Wachal, Angela L et al. (2018) Placental lipid processing in response to a maternal high-fat diet and diabetes in rats. Pediatr Res 83:712-722
Upadhyaya, Bijaya; Larsen, Tricia; Barwari, Shivon et al. (2017) Prenatal Exposure to a Maternal High-Fat Diet Affects Histone Modification of Cardiometabolic Genes in Newborn Rats. Nutrients 9:
Baack, Michelle L; Puumala, Susan E; Messier, Stephen E et al. (2016) Daily Enteral DHA Supplementation Alleviates Deficiency in Premature Infants. Lipids 51:423-33
Baack, Michelle L; Forred, Benjamin J; Larsen, Tricia D et al. (2016) Consequences of a Maternal High-Fat Diet and Late Gestation Diabetes on the Developing Rat Lung. PLoS One 11:e0160818
Juber, Brian A; Jackson, Kristina Harris; Johnson, Kristopher B et al. (2016) Breast milk DHA levels may increase after informing women: a community-based cohort study from South Dakota USA. Int Breastfeed J 12:7
Harris, W S; Baack, M L (2015) Beyond building better brains: bridging the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) gap of prematurity. J Perinatol 35:1-7
Reuter, Suzanne; Baack, Michelle; Munson, David (2015) 31-Week Premature Male with Congenital Syphilis. S D Med 68:487-92
Baack, Michelle L; Puumala, Susan E; Messier, Stephen E et al. (2015) What is the relationship between gestational age and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) levels? Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 100:5-11
Reuter, Suzanne; Moser, Chuanpit; Baack, Michelle (2014) Respiratory distress in the newborn. Pediatr Rev 35:417-28; quiz 429
Baack, Michelle L; Wang, Chunlin; Hu, Shanming et al. (2014) Hyperglycemia induces embryopathy, even in the absence of systemic maternal diabetes: an in vivo test of the fuel mediated teratogenesis hypothesis. Reprod Toxicol 46:129-36

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