RESEARCH ARTICLE Prenatal Metformin Exposure in a Maternal High Fat Diet Mouse Model Alters the Transcriptome and Modifies the Metabolic Responses of the Offspring

Aims: Despite the wide use of metformin in metabolically challenged pregnancies, the long-term effects on the metabolism of the offspring are not known. We studied the long-term effects of prenatal metformin exposure during metabolically challenged pregnancy in mice. Materials and Methods: Female mice were on a high fat diet (HFD) prior to and during the gestation. Metformin was administered during gestation from E0.5 to E17.5. Male and female offspring were weaned to a regular diet (RD) and subjected to HFD at adulthood (10-11 weeks). Body weight and several metabolic parameters (e.g. body composition and glucose tolerance) were measured during the study. Microarray and subsequent pathway analyses on the liver and subcutaneous adipose tissue of the male offspring were performed at postnatal day 4 in a separate experiment. Results: Prenatal metformin exposure changed the offspring’s response to HFD. Metformin exposed offspring gained less body weight and adipose tissue during th