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Physiology and Biochemistry

Breast milk apelin level increases with maternal obesity and high-fat feeding during lactation

International Journal of Obesity volume 45, pages 1052–1060 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

Recent evidence indicates that levels of breast milk (BM) hormones such as leptin can fluctuate with maternal adiposity, suggesting that BM hormones may signal maternal metabolic and nutritional environments to offspring during postnatal development. The hormone apelin is highly abundant in BM but its regulation during lactation is completely unknown. Here, we evaluated whether maternal obesity and overnutrition impacted BM apelin and leptin levels in clinical cohorts and lactating rats.

Methods

BM and plasma samples were collected from normal-weight and obese breastfeeding women, and from lactating rats fed a control or a high fat (HF) diet during lactation. Apelin and leptin levels were assayed by ELISA. Mammary gland (MG) apelin expression and its cellular localization in lactating rats was measured by quantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence, respectively.

Results

BM apelin levels increased with maternal BMI, whereas plasma apelin levels decreased. BM apelin was also positively correlated with maternal insulin and C-peptide levels. In rats, maternal HF feeding exclusively during lactation was sufficient to increase BM apelin levels and decrease its plasma concentration without changing body weight. In contrast, BM leptin levels increased with maternal BMI in humans, but did not change with maternal HF feeding during lactation in rats. Apelin is highly expressed in the rat MG during lactation and was mainly localized to mammary myoepithelial cells. We found that MG apelin gene expression was up-regulated by maternal HF diet and positively correlated with BM apelin content and maternal insulinemia.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that BM apelin levels increase with long- and short-term overnutrition, possibly via maternal hyperinsulinemia and transcriptional upregulation of MG apelin expression in myoepithelial cells. Apelin regulates many physiological processes, including energy metabolism, digestive function, and development. Further studies are needed to unravel the consequences of such changes in offspring development.

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Fig. 1: Breast milk apelin and leptin levels increase in human obese mothers.
Fig. 2: HF feeding during lactation increases breast milk apelin levels in rats.
Fig. 3: Apelin mRNA expression and peptide concentration in mammary gland from HF and C-fed rat mothers.
Fig. 4: Apelin localizes to mammary gland myoepithelial cells.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Valérie Montel, Anne Dickes and Phexmar animal housing facility for excellent help and support in animal studies; Elodie Richard at BICeL facility for microscopy and Barbara Deracinois for advice in MG peptides extractions.

Funding

This study was supported by grants of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Lille University (BQR 2014), the FHU 1000 days for health (APELMILK project), the CHRU Lille hospital (OBAPE project) and Conseil Régional des Hauts-de-France. L.M. was supported by fellowships from Metropole Européenne Lilloise (MEL) and Conseil Régional des Hauts-de-France.

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Author notes

  1. Lucie Marousez & Jean Lesage

    Present address: Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1286 – INFINITE – Institute for Translational Research in Inflammation, Lille, France

  2. Laura Butruille, Charlène Pourpe & Delphine Eberlé

    Present address: Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1011-EGID, Lille, France

  3. These authors contributed equally: L Marousez, S Hanssens

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Univ. Lille, EA4489 Environnement Périnatal et Santé, Lille, France

    Lucie Marousez, Sandy Hanssens, Laura Butruille, Charlène Pourpe, Capucine Besengez, Thameur Rakza, Laurent Storme, Philippe Deruelle, Jean Lesage & Delphine Eberlé

  2. CHU Lille, Jeanne de Flandre Hospital, Gynecology-Obstetrics, Lille, France

    Sandy Hanssens, Céline Petit & Philippe Deruelle

  3. CHU Lille, Jeanne de Flandre Hospital, Neonatology and Pediatrics, Lille, France

    Thameur Rakza & Laurent Storme

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Marousez, L., Hanssens, S., Butruille, L. et al. Breast milk apelin level increases with maternal obesity and high-fat feeding during lactation. Int J Obes 45, 1052–1060 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00772-y

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