Prepregnancy GLP‐1RA use improves maternal lipid metabolism via liver‐secreted FGF21 during pregnancy in high-fat diet (HFD)‐fed dams
Authors' conclusion
Prepregnancy GLP-1RA use improves maternal lipid metabolism during pregnancy, potentially involving elevated liver-secreted FGF21. This study offers a new strategy for treating lipid metabolic disorders in pregnancy.
Study context
- Population
- Women with obesity (case-control); virgin female Sprague Dawley rats, mated and sacrificed on gestational day 21plus 60 rats
- Participants
- 42 women
- Comparison
- Prepregnancy GLP-1 RA use vs no use (women with obesity); HFD + liraglutide or semaglutide vs HFD + saline (rats)
- Outcome
- Lipid metabolism during pregnancy
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Clinically, prepregnancy GLP-1 RA use reduced prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, ratio with first-trimester MASLD and TG levels during pregnancy
- In rats, GLP-1 RA improved plasma FGF21, adiponectin, TG and leptin in midgestation
- Late gestation, liver (GLP-1 RA vs HFD): improved lipid deposition, increased fatty acid oxidation and lipolysis genes, decreased lipogenesis genes, increased ERK/PPAR-γ and AMPK/SIRT1 pathways
- Late gestation, visceral adipose (GLP-1 RA): increased lipolysis genes, decreased lipogenesis genes, increased phosphorylated to total FGFR1 with activated ERK/PPAR-γ pathways
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Prepregnancy GLP‐1RA use improves maternal lipid metabolism via liver‐secreted FGF21 during pregnancy in HFD‐fed dams. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 9 July 2025. doi:10.
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