Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2026
Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
The maternal pheromone and deoxycholic acid in the survival of preweanling rats
Insights
Maternal feces protect young rats from enteritis due to deoxycholic acid. Denying pups access to feces increased mortality, but deoxycholic acid supplementation reduced it.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Gastroenterology
- Neonatal Development
Background:
- Preweanling rats exhibit selective consumption of maternal feces, indicating potential nutritional or protective benefits.
- Maternal feces are rich in deoxycholic acid, a bile acid with known biological activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that deoxycholic acid in maternal feces protects neonatal rats against acute enteritis.
- To determine the role of maternal feces consumption in pup survival and health.
Main Methods:
- Experimental groups of preweanling rats were denied access to maternal feces.
- Mortality rates from acute enteritis were compared between feces-deprived pups and control groups.
- Deoxycholic acid was administered to a subset of feces-deprived pups to assess its protective effects.
Main Results:
- Pups denied access to maternal feces exhibited significantly higher mortality rates due to acute enteritis compared to controls.
- Feces-deprived pups supplemented with deoxycholic acid demonstrated markedly lower mortality rates than those fed only laboratory chow.
Conclusions:
- Deoxycholic acid present in maternal feces plays a crucial role in protecting neonatal rats from acute enteritis.
- Consumption of maternal feces is vital for the health and survival of preweanling rats, likely mediated by its deoxycholic acid content.
Abstract:
Preweanling rats selectively approach and consume pheromone-containing maternal feces. This selectivity suggests that the consumption of maternal feces might be important for the growing pup. We tested the hypothesis that such feces, because of their high deoxycholic acid content, may protect against acute enteritis. A series of experiments was carried out in which pups were denied access to maternal feces. These pups died more often from acute enteritis than control pups. Additional confirmation of the hypothesis was obtained when feces-denied young fed deoxycholic acid showed a significantly lower mortality than feces-denied young fed laboratory chow alone.
