Maternal Choline Supplementation Modulates Placental Nutrient Transport and Metabolism in Late Gestation of Mouse Pregnancy

Fetal growth is dependent on placental nutrient supply, which is influenced by placental perfusion and transporter abundance. Previous research indicates that adequate choline nutrition during pregnancy improves placental vascular development, supporting the hypothesis that choline may affect placental nutrient transport. The present study sought to determine the impact of maternal choline supplementation (MCS) on placental nutrient transporter abundance and nutrient metabolism during late gestation. Female non-Swiss albino mice were randomly assigned to the 1×, 2×, or 4× choline diet (1.4, 2.8, and 5.6 g choline chloride/kg diet, respectively) 5 d before mating (n = 16 dams/group). The placentas and fetuses were harvested on gestational day (E) 15.5 and E18.5. The placental abundance of macronutrient, choline, and acetylcholine transporters and glycogen metabolic enzymes, and the placental concentration of glycogen were quantified. Choline metabolites and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations were measured in the placentas and/or fetal brains. Data were stratified by gestational day and fetal sex and were analyzed by using mixed linear models. At E15.5, MCS downregulated the placental transcript and protein abundance of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) (−40% to −73%, P < 0.05) and the placental transcript abundance of glycogen-synthesizing enzymes (−24% to −50%, P ≤ 0.05). At E18.5, MCS upregulated GLUT3 protein abundance (+55%, P = 0.016) and the transcript abundance of glycogen-synthesizing enzymes only in the female placentas (+36% to +60%, P < 0.05), resulting in a doubling (P = 0.01) of the glycogen concentration. A higher placental transcript abundance of the transporters for DHA, choline, and acetylcholine was also detected in response to MCS, consequently altering their concentrations in the placentas or fetal brains (P ≤ 0.05). These data suggest that MCS modulates placental nutrient transporter abundance and nutrient metabolism in late gestation of mouse pregnancy, with subsequent effects on nutrient supply for the developing fetus.