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Background and Aims Maternal obesity predispose offspring to metabolic disorders and obesity, but the mechanisms are not fully understood, especially during early life. Circular RNA (circRNA) can regulate the expression of target genes through the regulatory pathways of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). We hypothesized that the offspring of obese dams exhibit impaired metabolic health through the dysregulated expression of hepatic circRNA. Methods and Results A high-fat diet (HFD) or standard chow diet (CD) were randomized to dams for 12 weeks before mating. Specific diets continued for each dam throughout pregnancy and lactation. Then, lipid metabolic parameters were assessed in dams and female offspring. We performed liver RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) for the offspring of HFD- and CD-dams to comprehensively identify differentially expressed (DE) circRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA). Further, ceRNA networks combining DE circRNA, mRNA, and microRNA were predicted based on MiRanda and TargetScan databases combined with the lipid metabolism-related pathway. As a result, the circRNA_0000660-miR_693-Igfbp1 regulatory pathway was selected from liver and AML12 cell line. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, dual luciferase reporter gene system, and Small interfering RNA for circRNA_0000660 transfection experiment were applied to validate. Conclusions Our work investigated new mechanisms of the effect of maternal obesity on offspring’s lipid metabolism. Several novel targets were uncovered to reverse the effect.

A novel method for the determination of peroxynitrite using folic acid as a fluorescent probe is described. The method is based on the oxidation of the reduced, low-fluorescent folic acid by peroxynitrite to produce a high-fluorescent emission product. The fluorescence increase is linearly related to the concentration of peroxynitrite in the range of 3x10(-8) to 5.0x10(-6)molL(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.998, and the detection limit is 1x10(-8)molL(-1). Interferences from some metal ions normally seen in biological samples, and also some anions structurally similar to peroxynitrite were studied. The optimal conditions for the detection of peroxynitrite were evaluated.

In aqueous neutral sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution, as meso-tetra(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (THPP) monomers insert SDS aggregation, a strong porphyrin–porphyrin interaction is observed, and then the porphyrin J-aggregates form slowly. The concentration of SDS necessary to give the maximum amount of J-aggregates is 5.0 mM. The J-aggregates have been studied by optical absorption, fluorescence, and resonance light scattering spectroscopies. The J-aggregates have two strong exciton bands corresponding to the B-band and Q-bands of THPP monomers. The total fluorescence of THPP is quenched due to the aggregate formation. A strong and sharply peaked resonance light scattering signal (at 490 nm) which suggests a delocalized excitonic state is observed just slightly to the red of the J-aggregates absorption maximum. The J-aggregates are still very steady even if the solutions were stored in the dark for more than a year.