Water content and distribution in intrauterine growth-retarded newborn rats

Body composition of 54 normally grown and 29 intrauterine growth-retarded rat fetuses was determined. Half the fetuses in each group were analyzed whole while in the other half abdominal contents were separated from carcasses before analysis. No differences in body composition of whole fetuses, carcasses and abdominal contents were evident between the two groups. Although the validity of using the rat as animal model for human intrauterine growth retardation appears to be questionable, analysis of our results in light of previously published data raises important questions that deserve further investigation.