Assessment of body composition in Wistar rat offspring by DXA in relation to prenatal and postnatal nutritional manipulation
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Makarios Eleftheriades1,2, Homeira Vafaei3, Ismene Dontas4
1Embryocare, Fetal Medicine Unit, Athens, Greece.
Insights
Maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation significantly impacts offspring body composition. Prenatal and postnatal dietary interventions influence growth, fat accumulation, and bone development in rat pups.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology and developmental nutrition.
- Animal models for metabolic and growth studies.
Background:
- Maternal nutrition is critical for fetal development and long-term offspring health.
- Understanding the interplay of prenatal and postnatal nutrition is essential for preventing metabolic disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how combined prenatal and postnatal dietary manipulations affect body composition in rat offspring.
- To determine the influence of fetal growth restriction (FGR) on these effects.
Main Methods:
- Timed pregnant rats were assigned to standard or 50% starved diets.
- Offspring were cross-fostered and assessed for body weight, abdominal fat, and bone mineral content (BMC) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at postnatal day 26.
Main Results:
- Prenatal nutrition significantly affected overall body weight, with control-fed groups showing greater weight.
- Postnatal diet influenced abdominal fat and total fat mass, particularly in non-FGR offspring.
- Bone accrual (total BMC, head BMC, abdominal BMC) was enhanced by postnatal control diets in non-FGR rats.
Conclusions:
- The interaction between prenatal and postnatal nutrition significantly influences growth, abdominal adiposity, and bone development in rat offspring.
- These findings highlight the critical role of nutritional programming in early life stages.
Background:
This experimental study aims to investigate the impact of combinations of prenatal and postnatal food manipulation on body composition in rat offspring.
Methods:
On day 12 of gestation, 100 timed pregnant rats were randomized into two nutritional groups: standard laboratory and 50% starved. Pups born to starved mothers were subdivided, based on birthweight (BiW), into fetal growth restricted (FGR) and non-FGR. Pups were born on day 21, cross-fostered, then left undisturbed lactating until the 26th postnatal day when they underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination.
Results:
Prenatally control-fed animals had a significantly greater body weight at 26 d postnatally than the prenatally starved groups, irrespective of their postnatal diet (P < 0.001). Postnatal control diet was associated with significantly increased abdominal and total fat in non-FGR compared to FGR rats (P < 0.001). non-FGR/CONTROL rats showed higher values of abdominal fat than prenatally starved animals that were starved postnatally irrespective of their birth weight (P < 0.001). Postnatal control diet significantly increased total bone mineral content (BMC), head BMC, head area, abdominal BMC in non-FGR compared to FGR rats (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Interaction between prenatal and postnatal nutrition affects growth, abdominal adiposity, and bone accrual in Wistar rats' offspring at 26 d of life.
