Abstract 547: Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Profiling of Rat Offspring Exposed to Gestational Diabetes Reveals Altered Cardiac Gene Expression and Metabolism

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common complication of pregnancy. Children exposed to GDM are at an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases later in life, though the mechanisms responsible are unknown. We hypothesize that fetal exposure to GDM induces alterations in cardiomyocyte metabolism and concomitant left ventricular (LV) dysfunction with age. GDM was induced in female rats with a high fat (45% kcal) and sucrose diet prior to mating, throughout pregnancy and lactation. Lean control females received a low fat (10% kcal) diet. Fetal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (FRVC) were isolated from e20.5 offspring for U-13C glucose metabolic flux analysis and mitochondrial respiration. Serum metabolites and cardiac transcriptome profiles were measured in 3-month old offspring. LV morphology and function was assessed through the life course of the offspring (e18 to 12-months of age) by transthoracic ultrasound. Offspring exposed to GDM exhibited increased LV posterior wall thickness across their life course (fetal to 12-months of age; p