Maternal Malnutrition Diet During Lactation Period Leads to Incomplete Catch-Up Growth in Femur of the Pups at Adulthood

Abstract

SUMMARY:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal protein and energy restriction during lactation, analyzing on morphological dimensions whether there was catch-up growth through normative nutrition restored, as well as on mechanical axis of femur of the offspring at adulthood. At parturition, Wistar rat dams were randomly assigned to the following groups: 1) control group (C) -free access to a standard laboratory diet containing 23 % protein, 2) protein-energy restricted group (PER) -free access to an isoenergetic, protein-restricted diet containing 8 % protein, and 3) energy-restricted group (ER) -fed with restricted amounts of a standard laboratory diet. At weaning, all pups were separated of dams and received free access to a standard laboratory diet containing 23 % protein until 180 days, when the rats were anesthetized and sacrificed. The dimensions of excised pup femur were measured directly using pre-established anatomical points. Morphometric analysis of the femur (macroscopic) showed that most of the measurements in the ER and PER groups were significantly lower than in the control group, with the greatest reductions occurring in the PER group and several structural abnormalities. Our results show that protein and energy restriction during lactation leads to an incomplete catch-up growth in adulthood. The femur showed significant reduction in most of the parameters in the two treated groups, particularly the PER group, when compared to the control group.

Maternal undernutrition during lactation leads to reduction in skull size and thickness of adult-aged Wistar rats

“…Several studies have proposed that maternal malnutrition during pregnancy [8], the lactation period [9][10][11] or during both timeframes [12][13][14] can cause several developmental changes in multiple tissues of the offspring.…”

“…Some of these studies evaluated the central nervous system (CNS) and behavioral changes [13,14], while other studies observed changes in muscle tissue [12] and bony tissue [10,11,15], although regarding bones, most of these studies performed morphometric evaluations of the studied bones (e.g. femur, cranium).…”

“…femur, cranium). In addition, there are a few studies that addressed the long-term effects of bone growth on offspring whose mothers were malnourished during the lactation period [10,11,16].…”

Mandible Growth of Wistar Rats: Effects of Malnutrition during Lactation in Adulthood Mandibular Size

“…Some investigators have shown that the nutritional status of the mother during gestation and lactation is essential for normal growth and development, both in human and in experimental animals. 1,2 Previous studies have shown that maternal undernutrition during lactation can cause alterations in breast milk composition, 2 and serum hormone concentrations, 3 which can lead to a reduction in body weight. 2,3 Rats are used as a model for studying human skeletal system and major bone diseases and are considered as a good model for nutritional research.…”

“…Also, the study of protein malnutrition effects on mandible is worthwhile, considering the prevalence of this condition in patients, especially in developing countries. 1,12,13 Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal protein restriction during lactation on the horizontal and vertical bone growth of the mandible of the pups in adulthood.…”