| Abstract [eng] |
Unsufficient diet before pregnancy or in time of pregnancy can lead to inadequate weight of offspring, delayed maturation as well as obesity and greater risk of noncommunicable diseases in adulthood. The main objective of this study was to explore if there is a change in rat offspring’s body weight that can be attributed to maternal nutrition. Materials and methods. The animals were housed under standard conditions in the vivarium of the Institute of Biochemistry. All animal procedures are in accordance with the The State Food and Veterinary Service. The cohort of 12 mature female Wistar rats was divided into 3 groups with respect to nutritional restriction. The rats were fed either a control (1 group) or restricted diet (2 groups): one experimental group was food-restricted prior to pregnancy and the other - one month prior and through the pregnancy period. Both food-restricted rat groups received 50 percent less of the feed eaten in the control group. After 1 month maternal rats were mated. After weaning all pups were fed with control diet ad libitum. Pups were weighted weekly with the same, calibrated scales. After 4 months female offspring were mated following a standard above mentioned procedure. 2nd offspring generation was kept and weighted under the same standardized conditions. We also observed and evaluated offspring appearance, behavior and other signs of metabolic stress: interest in the environment, fear, aggressiveness, nervousness. Results show that 1. Unbalanced nutrition in pregnancy or pre-pregnancy can impact body weight in rats. ▪ 1st generation male offspring who were subjected to food restriction prior to pregnancy and through the pregnancy period weighted significantly more than other groups. ▪ In the 2nd offspring generation pre-pregnancy food deprived male rats were the heaviest; however a tendency for a greater than control group’s body weight was observed in prior to pregnancy and through the pregnancy food deprived males until the 6th month of life ▪ We have found no weight-related difference between groups in female offspring body weight in any time of the study in both 1st and 2nd generation offspring. 2. 2nd generation offspring have exhibited a number of symptoms indicating metabolic stress: red tears, edema in the neck and face as well as hair loss and slugishness. Conclusions. Nutrient prosperity in utero has a significant influence on offspring metabolic phenotype formation. Maternal nutritional restriction during or before pregnancy may alter postnatal growth, physical status and behavior in relation to gender and time window of exposure. 1. Female offspring seem to be more adaptive to food deprivation in pre-pregnancy and pregnancy and exhibit no weight related changes as well as less morphological differences in 1st and 2nd offspring generation. Diet before pregnancy and during pregnancy can affect the I and II generation male offspring weight. Our study found more intensive pathological changes at subsequent rather than first offspring generation. We have found changes in physical status of 1st generation offspring: pre-pregnancy and pregnancy food deprived males were more prone to being obese; this tendency was also observed in young age, but normalized in time of maturation in the 2nd offspring generation. The most notable consequences of metabolic stress in utero were exhibited in pre-pregnancy food deprived group descendants at the 2nd offspring generation. The mentioned group demonstrated the greatest weight, predisposition to obesity, shorter life span, a range of pronounced symptoms of chronic noncommunicable diseases. 2. We have observed a range of morphological symptoms of altered metabolism: red tears, edema in the neck and face as well as hair loss and sluggishness, that could be treated as indicators of metabolic stress, signalling altered metabolism, increased risk of noncommunicable diseases and premature death. |
