Vitamin B12 Supplementation During Pregnancy Influences Metabolic Factors in Male Sprague-Dawley Rat Offspring

Background and Objective: Maternal B₁₂ supplementation during pregnancy may have a significant impact on the health of the offspring, especially with regard to metabolic factors in male Sprague-Dawley rat offspring. This is because rats are a useful model for examining the effects of maternal nutrition, providing information on long-term health outcomes. This research explored the effects of perinatal vitamin B₁₂ supplementation on glucose metabolism and adiponectin release in male Sprague-Dawley rat offspring.Materials and Methods: Pregnant rats were divided into 4 groups: Normal or vitamin B₁₂-enriched diets during pregnancy (PG), lactation (PGL), or both (PGL+), compared to control groups. Glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting serum insulin concentration (FSI), lipids, body weight and food consumption were evaluated in male offspring at postnatal week 10. Also, lipid profile indices such as total cholesterol (T-CHOL), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were assayed. Results: Perinatal vitamin B₁₂ supplementation didn’t affect maternal weight or food intake. However, PGL+offspring had higher birth weights and both PGL and PGL+groups showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in weight at week 10. Notably, supplemented groups had significantly (p<0.05) lower FPG, FSI, T-CHOL, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C levels and significantly (p<0.05) higher adiponectin levels. Conclusion: Early-life vitamin B₁₂ supplementation positively impacted metabolic parameters and adiponectin release in male Sprague-Dawley rat offspring, emphasizing early interventions for metabolic diseases.