Prenatal programming of postnatal development in the pig

Abstract

new demands on experimental design and data management that present a considerable challenge to the effectiveness of future research on prenatal programming in the pig.

An investigation into uterine capacity based on litter and placental characteristics in two sow lines with different prolificacy (Danish Landrace x Danish Yorkshire versus German Saddleback)

“…These findings indicate that the phenomenon of IUGR occurs in both breeds but the ‘quality’ is different. In GS sows, IUGR was apparently litter size dependent and classically associated with lower birth weights together with increasing birth weight variability (reviewed by Foxcroft et al., 2009), while in DG sows, birth weight and variability remained constant regardless of litter size.…”

“…The phenomena of a low birth weight as well as within litter birth weight variability are, at least in part, influenced by uterine capacity which in terms refers to the number of fully formed foetuses the uterus can sustain until farrowing (reviewed by Wang et al., 2017). Uterine capacity is a limiting factor to litter size (Fenton et al., 1970) and can be associated with, for example, impaired placental and foetal development leading to the phenomenon of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR; reviewed by Foxcroft et al., 2009; Town et al., 2004). Characteristics of IUGR piglets are, for example, low birth weight, reduced vitality, organ defects or phenotypical abnormalities such as dolphin‐like skulls (reviewed by Oliviero et al., 2019).…”

Impact of piglet birth weight on later rearing performance

“…The growth rate from birth to weaning was determined by the birth weight, whereas the growth rate in the first and second fattening phase was not significantly related to the piglet birth weight. ion of researchers, growth of embryos and foetuses may be caused by an insufficient transplacental supply of nutrients from the mother's body, contributing to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (Vallet and Freking 2005;Wu et al 2006;Foxcroft et al 2009). According to Wu et al (2004), 15-20% of piglets are born with a body weight below 1.1 kg, and their survivability and further development are considerably reduced.…”

Insights Into Extracellular Vesicle/Exosome and miRNA Mediated Bi-Directional Communication During Porcine Pregnancy

“…The huge gap between these parameters is likely explained by a phenomenon called as spontaneous fetal loss, which occurs in two waves (8). A 20-30% of the conceptus are lost during the peri-attachment [gestation day (gd) [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] period (8) and an additional loss of 10-15% occurs during mid to late gestation, reviewed by (7,9,10). During early pregnancy, a delicate balance is absolutely critical between developing conceptus and the maternal immunomodulatory mechanisms (11).…”

“…The porcine placentation is non-invasive, diffuse, epitheliochorial type, which is characterized by neither decidualization of the endometrium like in humans and mice nor invasion of fetal tissues into the endometrium, but instead both the compartments lie in close, yet firm adhesion (12,13). Research over last decades has pointed out at several factors that are crucial to fetal development such as genetic makeup of the animal (14), nutrient intake (15), placental development and homeostasis (16), uterine capacity (14,17), deficits in placental vasculature (18), disease outbreaks (19), immune mechanisms (20), and environment (21,22) that specifically cause fetal loss. A variation in conceptus elongation rate and embryonic growth in early gestation especially around the peri-attachment period greatly alters the uterine environment, and thus negatively influencing the conceptus growth resulting in less developed conceptuses or even fetal demise (8).…”