25. June 2025

How obesity also affects the next generation How obesity also affects the next generation

Study reveals why children of obese mothers are more likely to develop metabolic disorders

Children born to obese mothers are at higher risk of developing metabolic disorders, even if they follow a healthy diet themselves. A new study from the University of Bonn offers an explanation for this phenomenon. In obese mice, certain cells in the embryo’s liver are reprogrammed during pregnancy. This leads to long-term changes in the offspring’s metabolism. The researchers believe that these findings could also be relevant for humans. The study has now been published in the journal Nature. 

Metabolites - from the mother permanently reprogram Kupffer cells.
Metabolites - from the mother permanently reprogram Kupffer cells. - This changes their function, causes liver cells (hepatocytes) to accumulate fat and ultimately leads to a fatty liver. The graphic was created with BioRender.com (http://BioRender.com). © AG Mass, Uni Bonn
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The team focused on the so-called Kupffer cells. These are macrophages – so-called ‘big eaters’ – that help protect the body as part of the innate immune system. During embryonic development, they migrate into the liver, where they take up permanent residence. There, they fight off pathogens and break down aging or damaged cells.

“But these Kupffer cells also act as conductors,” explains Prof. Dr. Elvira Mass from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn. “They instruct the surrounding liver cells on what to do. In this way, they help ensure that the liver, as a central metabolic organ, performs its many tasks correctly.”

Changing the tune: From Beethoven to Vivaldi

It appears, however, that it is this conducting function that is changed by obesity. This is what mouse experiments carried out by Mass in cooperation with other research groups at the University of Bonn suggest. “We were able to show that ...

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PublicationHao Huang et al.: Kupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver disease; Nature; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09190-w, URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09190-w

Prof. Dr. Elvira Mass
Life & Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES)
University of Bonn
Tel. +49 (0)228/7362848
E-mail: elvira@uni-bonn.de

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