Maternal high-fat diet alters the neurobehavioral, biochemical and inflammatory parameters of their adult female rat offspring

•Maternal diets did not alter sex hormones in adult female offspring.•Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) induced anxiety-like behavior in female offspring.•Maternal HFD altered the lipid profile and adiposity of the adult female offspring.•Maternal diets modify the offspring's brain and intestinal organic acids.•Maternal HFD caused tissue adipose, brain and intestinal damages in offspring. Lipid metabolism dysregulations have been associated with depressive and anxious behaviors which can affect pregnant and lactating individuals, with indications that such changes extend to the offspring. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a maternal high-fat diet on the neurobehavioral, biochemical and inflammatory parameters of their adult female offspring. Wistar rats ± 90 days old were mated. The dams were allocated to consume a control (CTL) or high-fat (HFD) diet during pregnancy and lactation. After weaning, the female offspring from the CTL (N = 10) and HFD (N = 10) groups received standard chow. The offspring behavioral tests were started at 120 days old. Then, the somatic measures were evaluated followed by euthanasia, histological and biochemical analyses. The HFD group had less ambulation and longer immobility time in the open field test compared to the CTL. The HFD group had lower HDL (48.4%) and a higher adiposity (71.8%) and LDL (62.2%) than the CTL. The CTL had a higher organic acid concentration in the intestine, mainly acetic and butyric acids, however the HFD had a higher citric and acetic acid concentration in the brain and ischemic lesion in the hippocampus with a higher NF-κB concentration. The results demonstrate deleterious effects of a maternal HFD on the neurobehavioral and biochemical parameters of their offspring which may be associated with the role of organic acids and NF-κB in fetal programming. [Display omitted]