Effect of maternal apical periodontitis on the final step of insulin signalling and inflammatory pathway in the adult male offspring of rats

Aim To evaluate the final step of insulin signalling, inflammatory pathway (related to the inhibition of insulin signalling), peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐gamma coactivator 1α (PGC‐1α) protein content and DNA methylation in the Slc2a4 gene promoter region in the skeletal muscle of adult male offspring of rats with apical periodontitis (AP) in a single tooth or in four teeth. Methodology Female Wistar rats were distributed into three groups: a control group, a group with one tooth with AP and a group with four teeth with AP. Thirty days after induction of AP, female rats from all groups were mated with healthy male rats. When male offspring reached 75 days of age, the following analyses were performed in the gastrocnemius muscle (GM): insulin‐stimulated Akt serine and threonine phosphorylation status; NF‐κB p50 and p65 subunits phosphorylation status; GLUT4, TNF‐α and PGC‐1α protein content by Western blotting; GLUT4 and TNF‐α gene expression by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR); and DNA methylation in the Slc2a4 gene promoter region by restriction digestion and real‐time PCR. Analysis of variance was performed, followed by Tukey's post hoc test. p values