The effect of periconceptional undernutrition of sheep on the cognitive/emotional response and oocyte quality of offspring at 30 days of age

Abstract

Maternal periconceptional undernutrition is associated with altered development and increased risks of adverse outcomes in the offspring. This circumstance is normal in flocks under extensive farming systems, which depend on natural forage resources. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of periconceptional undernutrition in sheep on behavioral and reproductive aspects of the offspring. Eighty ewes were synchronized in estrus and allocated to two groups (n=40) to be fed diets that provided 1.5 (C) or 0.5 (L) times the requirements for maintenance. Ewes were mated and 7 days later fed the control diet until lambing. One month after lambing, 32 lambs were exposed to tests to determine their cognitive and emotional responses. Six ewe lambs were euthanized and in vitro maturation and fertilization procedures were performed. L ewes presented a significant reduction in prolificacy and fecundity (P<0.05) in comparison with C ewes. Mean LW at lambing of L lambs was significantly higher than C lambs (C: 3.80 ± 0.11; L: 4.24 ± 0.15 kg, P<0.05). Lambs born from C ewes spent more time walking than L lambs (P<0.05) in the isolation test, revealing a decrease in the locomotor activity of lambs born from undernourished ewes around conception. Ewe lambs from the undernourished ewes presented a total population of oocytes 2.3 times higher than ovaries from control ewe lambs (60.0 ± 7.8 v. 140.0 ± 18.5 oocytes; P<0.05). In conclusion, periconceptional undernutrition is able to produce an increment in the body weight and the oocyte population, and an alteration of the locomotor activity of the offspring.

Undernutrition and hyperandrogenism during pregnancy: Role in programming of cardiovascular disease and infertility

“…The development of the reproductive system can be aberrantly programmed by either maternal undernutrition (Abecia, Casao, Pascual-Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo-Ulloa, Forcada et al, 2014;Abecia, Casao, Pascual-Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo-Ulloa, Meikle, et al, 2014;Borwick et al, 1997;Lea et al, 2006;Rae et al, 2001Rae et al, , 2002Sullivan et al, 2009) development. In a 6-month 40% caloric restriction study, where nonpregnant female rats lost 20% of their body weight, T production was enhanced (Martin et al, 2007) similar to energy restriction during early pregnancy in the NR bovine model (Mossa et al, 2013).…”

“…The development of the reproductive system can be aberrantly programmed by either maternal undernutrition (Abecia, Casao, Pascual‐Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo‐Ulloa, Forcada et al, ; Abecia, Casao, Pascual‐Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo‐Ulloa, Meikle, et al, ; Borwick et al, ; Lea et al, ; Rae et al, , ; Sullivan et al, ) or increased androgen concentrations (Smith, Steckler, Veiga‐Lopez, & Padmanabhan, ; Veiga‐Lopez, Astapova, Aizenberg, Lee, & Padmanabhan, ). However, it is not fully established if maternal energy restriction can increase androgen production during gestation and if, in turn, this may influence fetal development.…”

“…In human and animal models, maternal undernutrition negatively impacts birth weight and postnatal development in the offspring, leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease, metabolic disorders (Barker et al, ), and impaired fertility, including early age at menopause (Dunneram, Greenwood, Burley, & Cade, ; Tom et al, ). Much of the above data stem from nutritional restrictions throughout gestation, whereas there is a paucity of information on the effects of limited energy intake during the preconception period and early pregnancy on both, maternal and offspring health (Abecia, Casao, Pascual‐Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo‐Ulloa, Forcada, et al, ; Abecia, Casao, Pascual‐Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo‐Ulloa, Meikle, et al, ; Borwick, Rhind, McMillen, & Racey, ; Kotsampasi et al, ). Further, knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of maternal inadequate nutrition on fetal development is also limited.…”

Testicular development in male lambs prenatally exposed to a high‐starch diet

“…In sheep, in utero undernutrition increased the expression of apoptotic genes in fetal ovaries at day 110 of gestation (Lea et al, ) and the number of oogonia in fetal ovaries at day 47 and 65 of gestation (Borwick et al, ; Rae et al, ). Periconceptional undernutrition from estrus to day 7 of gestation resulted in a greater total population of oocytes in 30‐day‐old‐lambs (Abecia, Casao, Pascual‐Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo‐Ulloa, Meikle, et al, ) and similarly maternal undernutrition from mating to day 15 of pregnancy increased the quantity of oocytes in 60‐day‐old female lambs (Abecia, Casao, Pascual‐Alonso, Lobón, Aguayo‐Ulloa, Forcada, et al, ). Further, female progeny of ewes undernourished from mating to day 95 of gestation had reduced ovulation rates at 20 months of age (Rae, Kyle, et al, ).…”

Ovelhas desafiadas no final da gestação: respostas comportamentais e reprodutivas de cordeiros

“…Teste cognitivo aos 30 dias de vida do cordeiro Aos dias de média de idade dos cordeiros, foi proposto um desafio para testar a capacidade cognitiva destes animais em relação ao reconhecimento e importância dos cuidados maternos naquele momento, sem que houvesse qualquer influência física materna. Um labirinto em formato de "T" foi adaptado para o teste(ABECIA et al, 2014), todo construído com…”