Maternal undernutrition during early gestation in the ewe results in altered growth, adiposity, and glucose tolerance in male offspring

¹ The Center for the Study of Fetal Programming, Laramie, WY 82071; Department of Animal Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071
² The Center for the Study of Fetal Programming, Laramie, WY 82071; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, TX 78229
³ The Center for the Study of Fetal Programming, Laramie, WY 82071; Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Fargo, ND 58105

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: spford{at}uwyo.edu.

	Abstract

This study utilized maternal undernutrition from early to mid-gestation in the ewe to determine the impact(s) of intrauterine growth restriction on postpartum growth of male offspring and the potential mechanisms involved. Multiparous ewes were fed 50% (nutrient restricted) or 100% (control fed) of nutrient requirements (NRC, 1985) between d 28 and d 78 of gestation, then all ewes were fed 100% of NRC requirements from d 79 through lambing. Male lambs born to nutrient restricted (n = 9) and control fed (n = 9) ewes exhibited similar BW (5.8 vs. 6.0 ± 0.3 kg) and crown rump lengths (53.8 vs. 55.4 ± 1.0 cm) at birth. At 63 and 250 d of postnatal age, wether lambs were subjected to a glucose tolerance test, in which a bolus of glucose was administered i.v. to evaluate changes in glucose and insulin concentrations. Following i.v. glucose administration at 63 d of age, lambs from nutrient restricted ewes exhibited a greater area under the curve for glucose (AUCg; 6,281 vs. 5,242 ± 429; P < 0.05) and insulin (AUCi; 21.0 vs. 8.6 ± 1.9; P < 0.001) than lambs from control fed ewes. After glucose administration at 250 d of age, lambs from nutrient restricted ewes had greater AUCg (7,147 vs. 5,823 ± 361; P < 0.01) but a lower AUCi (6.4vs. 10.2 ± 1.9; P = 0.05) than lambs from control fed ewes. Lambs from nutrient restricted ewes were heavier (26.6 vs. 21.8 ± 2.3 kg; P < 0.05) by 4 mo of age and had more back fat (0.30 vs. 0.21 ± 0.03 cm, P < 0.05) than the lambs from control fed ewes. At slaughter on 280 d of age, lambs from nutrient restricted ewes remained heavier than lambs from control fed ewes, had greater (P < 0.05) amounts of kidney and pelvic area adipose tissue, and tended (P < 0.10) to have reduced LM and semitendinosus muscle weights as a percentage of HCW. These data demonstrate that a bout of maternal undernutrition during early to mid-gestation in sheep increased BW and fat deposition during adolescence, and dysregulated glucose uptake in the absence of any change in birth weight.

Key Words: gestation, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, maternal undernutrition, sheep

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