Litter Size Reduction Induces Metabolic and Histological Adjustments in Dams throughout Lactation with Early Effects on Offspring.

In the present study we analyzed morphological and metabolic alterations in dams nursing small litters and their consequences to offspring throughout lactation. Offspring sizes were adjusted to Small Litter (SL, 3 pups/ dam) and Normal Litter (NL, 9 pups/ dam). Body weight, food intake, white adipose tissue (WAT) content, histological analysis of the pancreas, mammary gland (MG) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) as well as, plasma parameters and milk composition were measured in dams and pups on the 7th, 14th and 21st days of lactation. In general, SL-dams presented higher body weight and retroperitoneal fat content, elevated fat infiltration in BAT, reduced islets size and hyperglycemia throughout lactation in relation to NL-dams (p<0.05). Moreover, MG from SL-dams had reduced alveoli development and high adipocytes content, resulting in milk with elevated energetic value and fat content in relation to NL-dams (p<0.05). Maternal states influenced offspring anthropometric conditions during lactation, offspring-SL displayed higher body weight and growth, hyperglycemia, augmented lipid deposition in BAT and elevated islet. Thus, maternal histological and metabolic changes are due to modifications to nursing small litters and reinforce the importance of preserving maternal health during lactation avoiding early programming effects on offspring preventing metabolic consequences later in life.

• Publication year

  2019

• Venue

  Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências

• Publication date

  2019-03-21

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1590/0001-3765201920170971PMID 30916150
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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