Gestational diabetes promotes germ cell cCyst breakdown and primordial follicle formation in newborn mice via the AKT signaling pathway

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a common disease in which pancreatic β cells are impaired due to auto-immunity, pregnancy in women with it is associated with increased risk of neonatal morbidity, mortality. However, the effects of gestational diabetes on the reproduction of newborn offspring are still poorly understood. Here, we determined the cyst breakdown and primordial follicle formation in neonatal offspring born by streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic or non-diabetic female mice, and found that the germ cell cyst breakdown was promoted in neonatal offspring of STZ -induced diabetic mice at postnatal Day 1, which sequentially accelerated the primordial follicle formation. Further investigation revealed that, the expression level of PI3K and p-AKT were significantly increased in ovaries of offspring born by T1D mice. These results indicated that STZ -induced gestational diabetes promotes germ cell cyst breakdown and primordial follicle formation by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the newborn offspring. In addition, this effect can be rescued by an insulin supplement. Taken together, our results uncover the intergenerational effects of gestational diabetes on neonatal offspring folliculogenesis, and provide an experimental model for treating gestational diabetes and its complications in neonatal offspring.