Gestation Food Restriction and Refeeding Compensate Maternal Energy Status and Alleviate Metabolic Consequences in Juvenile Offspring in a Rabbit Model

Abstract

Nutritional status during gestation can influence mother and offspring metabolism. Undernutrition in pregnancy affects women in both western and developing countries, and it is associated with a high prevalence of chronic diseases in later life. The present work was conducted in the rabbit model, as a longitudinal study, to examine the effect of food restriction during early and mid-gestation, and re-feeding ad libitum until the end of pregnancy on metabolic status and body reserves of mother and, its association with development and metabolism of fetuses and female offspring to the juvenile stage. Little changes in live body weight (LBW), compensatory feed intake, similar body reserves, and metabolism were observed in dams. Placenta biometry and efficiency were slightly affected, but fetal BW and phenotype were not modified. However, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and hypertriglyceridemia were demonstrated in pre-term fetuses. In the juvenile period, these changes were not evidenced, and a similar pattern of growth and serum metabolic parameters in offspring of food-restricted mothers were found, except in serum aminotransferases levels, which increased. These were associated with higher liver fibrosis. Maternal food restriction in the early and mid-pregnancy followed by re-feeding in our rabbit model established a compensatory energy status in dams and alleviated potential long-term consequences in growth and metabolism in the offspring, even if fetal metabolism was altered.

Influence of Different Regimes of Moderate Maternal Feed Restriction during Pregnancy of Primiparous Rabbit Does on Long-Term Metabolic Energy Homeostasis, Productive Performance and Welfare

“…After different MFR periods, when fed ad libitum, all pregnant does significantly increased their feed intake. These results match with those observed in our previous studies [ 9 , 14 , 15 ]. Dams from R721 and R021 groups altogether consumed 1.3 kg and 1.8 kg less feed than the Control group during gestation, respectively.…”

“…As expected, the number of corpora lutea assessed in the rabbits on day 28 of gestation was similar in all groups, as MFR was applied right after AI, with no impact on the ovulation rate. Similar results have been described in our previous studies where only Control and R021 treatments were compared [ 14 , 15 ]. Nonetheless, R07 does tended to have a higher number of fetuses, although with worse viability.…”

“…In this sense, Rommers et al [28] described that a moderate decrease in energy intake during the first week of gestation, provided it is above maintenance needs, does not affect implantation rate, while in the fourth week of pregnancy, energy deprivation can generate more problems in the long-term. Furthermore, during lactation and in the juvenile stage, our previous studies [14,15] that focused on the likely consequences on progeny of a three-week MFR (equal to the current R021 group) evidenced that the surviving offspring did not manifest any outstanding alterations in growth, serum or metabolic parameters nor feed intake during juvenile phase until puberty.…”

“…Furthermore, during lactation and in the juvenile stage, our previous studies [ 14 , 15 ] that focused on the likely consequences on progeny of a three-week MFR (equal to the current R021 group) evidenced that the surviving offspring did not manifest any outstanding alterations in growth, serum or metabolic parameters nor feed intake during juvenile phase until puberty.…”

“…What we can introduce about the application of MFR is largely based upon our previous experimental studies [ 14 , 15 ], in which we have described the metabolic consequences observed in mothers and offspring subjected to a 60% MFR during three weeks of pregnancy (from day 0 to 21). This MFR led to a compensatory feed intake during the last week of pregnancy that offset the effects in the live body weight (LBW) and body reserves of the dams at parturition and the fetal body weight and phenotype at day 28 of pregnancy.…”