Effect of maternal food restriction during gestation on early development of F1 and F2 offspring in the rat-like hamster (Cricetulus triton)

Maternal food restriction (FR) may have strong and long-term effects on body weight, brain and behavior development of offspring. However, it is still not well understood whether such an effect is carried over to the next generation. Our objective was to examine the differences of maternal behavior, body growth, cranial growth and early development of F1 and F2 offspring of rat-like hamsters between a FR group and a control group. Results show that FR has a significant influence on maternal gathering behavior. The body weight of F1 offspring was significantly lower in the food-restricted group compared with that of the control animals, while the body weight of food-restricted F2 offspring was not significantly different from that of the control group. The physical development and neurodevelopment of food-restricted F1 and F2 offspring were significantly delayed compared to the controls. These results suggest that FR in female rat-like hamsters affected negatively the body growth of F1 offspring, and the physical and neurodevelopment of both F1 and F2 offspring. The effect of maternal FR on F2 offspring was smaller than that on F1 offspring. These factors may, in turn, play an important role in the population regulation of this species.