Prenatal MD supplementation is sufficient to worsen young adult male colitis.

<p>Dams were provided either a control (C) or methyl-donor (MD) diet before, during and following (lactation) pregnancy. Each litter was crossed fostered. Groups were designated as following: MD-MD if they had received MD diet <i>in utero</i> and lactation; C-C for control diet <i>in utero</i> and lactation; MD-C for MD <i>in utero</i> and control in lactation and the last group were C-MD that received control <i>in utero</i> and MD in lactation. Offspring were transferred to control diet at weaning (P21) and tested for susceptibility to colitis by 3% DSS exposure for 5 days in drinking water at P90. (A) The MD-MD and MD-C male mice showed significantly (*p<0.05) increased weight loss compared to the C-C. (B) Colonic lengths were significantly shorter (*p<0.05) in the MD-MD and MD-C compared to the negative control C-C. N=8-12 per group. (C) Histological severity of inflammation was consistent with the MD-MD group suffering a more severe colitis than control. There was a trend approaching significance for microscopically increased colitis in the MD-C group as well. N=5.