Food restriction during pregnancy: effects on body condition and productive performance of primiparous rabbit does

Menchetti, Laura; Brecchia, Gabriele; Cardinali, R.; Polisca, Angela; Boiti, Cristiano

doi:10.4995/wrs.2015.1703

Cited by 19 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The lack of effects of MFR on maternal bodyweight found in the current study supports previous studies in rabbits [30, 38, 41] and differs from other animal species in which the application of MFR resulted in maternal bodyweight loss, like rodents [50–53], sheep [54, 55] and primates [56, 57]. These differences between species and experimental studies may be related to feeding management ( ad libitum feeding vs maintenance requirements), fat stores prior to the experimental phase, or may be as well associated to reproductive strategies adopted by the mothers [58].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…In rabbits, the effects of MFR during gestation [17, 30, 31, 35–41] vary depending on the period of the pregnancy exposed, the level of the restriction applied and the capacity of the mother to compensate, particularly during late pregnancy when fetal growth is maximal [42]. When it comes to the mother, MFR is usually linked to metabolic and hormonal changes [35–37] and low milk production [38]. Meanwhile, in the fetus, hemodynamic alterations and poor biometric outcomes can be observed [17, 30, 31, 39–41].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Competition for Materno-Fetal Resource Partitioning in a Rabbit Model of Undernourished Pregnancy

et al. 2017

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The major goal of animal production is to obtain abundant and healthy meat for consumers. Maternal food restriction (MFR) is often applied in farms to reduce production costs. However, the suitability of MFR in livestock animals is questionable, as this management may compromise maternal fitness due to a severe negative energetic balance and can induce Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) and prenatal programming in the offspring. Here, we sought to determine, using pregnant rabbits, the consequences of MFR on maternal endocrine and metabolic status and conceptus development. Pregnant dams were distributed into three groups: CONTROL (ad libitum feeding throughout the entire pregnancy; mean pregnancy length being around 31 days), UNDERFED (50% MFR during the entire pregnancy) and EARLY-UNDERFED (50% MFR only during the preimplantation period, Days 0–7). Maternal leptin concentrations and glycemic and lipid profiles were determined throughout pregnancy, whilst conceptus development was assessed ex-vivo at Day 28. Placental parameters were determined by macroscopic and histological evaluations and apoptotic assessments (TUNEL and Caspase-3). The main results of the study showed that, despite MFR altered maternal plasma lipid concentration (P<0.05), there were no effects on maternal bodyweight, plasma leptin concentration or glycemic profile. Fetal crown-rump lengths were reduced in both undernourished groups (P<0.001), but a significant reduction in fetal weight was only observed in the UNDERFED group (P<0.001). Growth in both undernourished groups was asymmetrical, with reduced liver weight (P<0.001) and significantly increased brain: fetal weight-ratio (P<0.001) and brain: liver weight-ratio (P<0.001) when compared to the CONTROL group. A significant reduction in placental weight was only observed in the UNDERFED group (P<0.001), despite both undernourished groups showing higher apoptotic rates at decidua and labyrinth zone (P<0.05) than the CONTROL group. Thus, these groups evidenced signs of placental degeneration, necrosis and stromal collapse. In summary, MFR may encourage the mother to make strategic decisions to safeguard her metabolic status and fitness at the expense of growth reduction in the litter, resulting in enhanced apoptotic and pathological processes at placental level and IUGR.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition for Materno-Fetal Resource Partitioning in a Rabbit Model of Undernourished Pregnancy

et al. 2017

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“…A 70% reduction in feed intake (30% of control) during the last third of rabbit pregnancy also reduces maternal weight and leads to asymmetric IUGR (Eixarch et al, 2011;Illa et al, 2017;Matsuoka et al, 2006). Whereas, 35-40% reduction in maternal food intake (60-75% of control) from early in gestation has little to no effect on maternal weight gain and a more variable and less severe impact of fetal viability and growth (Goliomytis et al, 2016;Manal, Tony, & Ezzo, 2010;Menchetti, Brecchia, Cardinali, Polisca, & Boiti, 2015;Nafeaa, Ahmed, & Fat Hallah, 2011;Rommers, Meijerhof, Noordhuizen, & Kemp, 2004).…”

Section: Undernutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Models of Intrauterine growth restriction and fetal programming in rabbits

López-Tello

Álvarez

González-Bulnes³

et al. 2019

Molecular Reproduction Devel

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Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affects approximately 10% of human pregnancies globally and has immediate and life‐long consequences for offspring health. However, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of IUGR and its association with later health and disease outcomes are poorly understood. To address these knowledge gaps, the use of experimental animals is critically important. Since the 50's different environmental, pharmacological, and surgical manipulations have been performed in the rabbit to improve our knowledge of the control of fetal growth, fetal responses to IUGR, and mechanisms by which offspring may be programmed by an adverse gestational environment. The purpose of this review is therefore to summarize the utility of the rabbit as a model for IUGR research. It first summarizes the knowledge of prenatal and postnatal development in the rabbit and how these events relate to developmental milestones in humans. It then describes the methods used to induce IUGR in rabbits and the knowledge gained about the mechanisms determining prenatal and postnatal outcomes of the offspring. Finally, it discusses the application of state of the art approaches in the rabbit, including high‐resolution ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and gene targeting, to gain a deeper integrative understanding of the physiological and molecular events governing the development of IUGR. Overall, we hope to engage and inspire investigators to employ the rabbit as a model organism when studying pregnancy physiology so that we may advance our understanding of mechanisms underlying IUGR and its consequences in humans and other mammalian species.

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“…This may vary depending on severity and duration (Rommers et al, 2004), moment of application (Menchetti et al, 2015b) and feed intake adaptation to the nutritive values of feed (Arias-Alvarez et al, 2009;Rebollar et al, 2011). In our experiment, the feeding programme had no effect on nutrient intake from 9 to 13 wk of age (1658 kJ DE/d and 17 g DP/d) and from 18 to 20 wk of age (1487 DE/d and 15 g DP/d).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Effects of rearing feeding programme on the young rabbit females’ behaviour and welfare indicators

et al. 2015

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Restriction of young rabbit females during rearing is a widespread management technique that could have negative consequences on their welfare and behaviour. In the present work, a total of 24 young rabbit females aged 9 wk were used to evaluate 3 rearing feeding programmes until first parturition: CAL, fed ad libitum with a control diet [C: 11.0 MJ digestible energy (DE) and 114 g digestible protein (DP) per kg dry matter (DM)]; CR, receiving the C diet restricted (140 g/d) from 12 wk of age; and F, fed ad libitum with a low energy/high fibre diet [F: 8.7 MJ DE and 88 g DP per kg DM]. F females presented lower body weight than CAL and CR females at week 18 (-0.4 kg and -0.2 kg; P<0.05), but differences in body weight disappeared at parturition. Feeding programme affected the daily feed intake of young females during rearing and gestation periods (on av. of 2 periods: 140, 127 and 179 g DM/d, for CAL, CR and F females, respectively; P<0.001). Blood levels of glucose and insulin decreased with the age of rabbits (from 97 to 73 mg/dL for glucose and from 11 to 6 µUI/mL for insulin at 13 and 20 wk, respectively; P<0.001). Concentration of non-esterified fatty acids was higher in the blood of CAL females (+0.13 mmol/L compared to F; P<0.05), while corticosterone was higher in F females (+0.7 µg/dL compared to CAL; P<0.05). The type of feeding schedule affected the lying still and eating behaviour (P<0.01) of CR females, especially before and after feeding supply, as well as their behavioural stressed indicators (stereotypies; P<0.01), which were more frequent in CR females before feeding supply at 20 weeks of age. Therefore, ad libitum use of a low energy/high fibre diet is an adequate feeding programme for young rabbit females, which does not alter their behavioural patterns.

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Food restriction during pregnancy: effects on body condition and productive performance of primiparous rabbit does

Cited by 19 publications

References 26 publications

Competition for Materno-Fetal Resource Partitioning in a Rabbit Model of Undernourished Pregnancy

Competition for Materno-Fetal Resource Partitioning in a Rabbit Model of Undernourished Pregnancy

Models of Intrauterine growth restriction and fetal programming in rabbits

Effects of rearing feeding programme on the young rabbit females’ behaviour and welfare indicators

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