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Maternal nutrient restriction in guinea pigs as an animal model for studying growth-restricted offspring with postnatal catch-up growth
American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology
  • Catherine L. Nevin, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Evan Formosa, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Yohei Maki, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Brad Matushewski, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Timothy R.H. Regnault, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
  • Bryan S. Richardson, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2018
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1152/ajpregu.00317.2017
Abstract

We determined the impact of moderate maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) in guinea pigs with fetal growth restriction (FGR) on offspring body and organ weights, hypothesizing that FGR-MNR animals will show catch-up growth but with organ-specific differences. Guinea pig sows were fed ad libitum (Control) or 70% of the control diet from 4 weeks preconception, switching to 90% at midpregnancy (MNR). Control newborns >95 g [appropriate for gestational age (AGA); n = 37] and MNR newborns <85 g (FGR; n = 37) were monitored until neonatal (~25 days) or adult (~110 days) necropsy. Birth weights and body/organ weights at necropsy were used to calculate absolute and fractional growth rates (FRs). FGR-MNR birth weights were decreased ~32% compared with the AGA-Controls. FGR-MNR neonatal whole body FRs were increased ~36% compared with Controls indicating catch-up growth, with values negatively correlated to birth weights indicating the degree of FGR leads to greater catch-up growth. However, the increase in organ FRs in the FGR-MNR neonates compared with Controls was variable, being similar for the brain and kidneys indicating comparable catch-up growth to that of the whole body and twofold increased for the liver but negligible for the heart indicating markedly increased and absent catch-up growth, respectively. While FGR-MNR body and organ weights were unchanged from the AGA-Controls by adulthood, whole body growth rates were increased. These findings confirm early catch-up growth in FGR-MNR guinea pigs but with organ-specific differences and enhanced growth rates by adulthood, which are likely to have implications for structural alterations and disease risk in later life.

Citation Information
Catherine L. Nevin, Evan Formosa, Yohei Maki, Brad Matushewski, et al.. "Maternal nutrient restriction in guinea pigs as an animal model for studying growth-restricted offspring with postnatal catch-up growth" American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology Vol. 314 Iss. 5 (2018) p. R647 - R654
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/timothy-regnault/22/