HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 288/1/R119    most recent 00360.2004v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (10) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kind, K. L. Articles by Owens, J. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kind, K. L. Articles by Owens, J. A.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Fetal Physiological Programming

Chronic maternal feed restriction impairs growth but increases adiposity of the fetal guinea pig

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and ³Research Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia; and ²Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Health Sciences and Nutrition, Adelaide BC, South Australia, Australia

Submitted 1 June 2004 ; accepted in final form 29 September 2004

Small size at birth has been associated with an increased risk of central obesity and reduced lean body mass in adult life. This study investigated the time of onset of prenatally induced obesity, which occurs after maternal feed restriction, in the guinea pig, a species that, like the human, develops substantial adipose tissue stores before birth. We examined the effect of maternal feed restriction [70% ad libitum intake from 4 wk before to midpregnancy, then 90% until day 60 gestation (term 69 days)] on fetal growth and body composition in the guinea pig. Maternal feed restriction reduced fetal (–39%) and placental (–30%) weight at 60 days gestation and reduced liver, biceps muscle, spleen, and thymus weights, relative to fetal weight, while relative weights of brain, lungs, and interscapular and retroperitoneal fat pads were increased. In the interscapular depot, maternal feed restriction decreased the volume density of multilocular fat and increased that of unilocular fat, resulting in an increased relative weight of interscapular unilocular fat. Maternal feed restriction did not alter the relative weight of perirenal fat or the volume density of adipocyte populations within the depot but increased unilocular lipid locule size. Maternal feed restriction in the guinea pig is associated with decreased weight of major organs, including liver and skeletal muscle, but increased adiposity of the fetus, with relative sparing of unilocular adipose tissue. If this early-onset obesity persists, it may contribute to the metabolic and cardiovascular dysfunction that these offspring of feed-restricted mothers develop as adults.

pregnancy; adipose tissue; fetus

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Breton, M.-A. Lukaszewski, P.-Y. Risold, M. Enache, J. Guillemot, G. Riviere, F. Delahaye, J. Lesage, I. Dutriez-Casteloot, C. Laborie, et al. Maternal prenatal undernutrition alters the response of POMC neurons to energy status variation in adult male rat offspring Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, March 1, 2009; 296(3): E462 - E472. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Shankar, A. Harrell, X. Liu, J. M. Gilchrist, M. J. J. Ronis, and T. M. Badger Maternal obesity at conception programs obesity in the offspring Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2008; 294(2): R528 - R538. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Schwartz and J. L. Morrison Impact and mechanisms of fetal physiological programming Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, January 1, 2005; 288(1): R11 - R15. [Full Text] [PDF]