Reproductive and developmental outcomes, and influence on maternal and offspring tissue mineral concentrations, of (−)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, and rutin ingestion prior to, and during pregnancy and lactation in C57BL/6J mice

• Maternal food intake, body weights, and tissue weights were not affected by the dietary treatments.
• RU2 dams had alterations in liver zinc, copper, and calcium compared to the other treatment groups.
• Fetal and placental weights, and number of implantation sites and resorption sites per litter were similar across treatment groups.
• Offspring food intake, body weight, litter size, survival, sex, and skeletal development were similar among groups.
• EC1 and EC2 offspring had alterations in liver copper and iron (EC2 only). RU1 and RU2 had alterations in liver calcium.

Maternal nutrition can have a significant effect on developmental processes during pregnancy and lactation. While certain flavonoids have been postulated to be beneficial for health, little is known about the effects of ingestion during pregnancy and lactation on the mother and progeny. We report on the effects of maternal consumption of high levels of certain flavonoids on reproductive and developmental outcomes in a mouse model. C57BL/6J female mice were fed a control diet (CT), the CT diet supplemented with 1% or 2% of a mix of epicatechin and catechin (EC1, EC2), or rutin (RU1, RU2) prior to, during pregnancy, and lactation. A subset of dams was killed on gestation day (GD) 18.5 to evaluate fetal outcomes and the remainder was allowed to deliver to evaluate offspring. Maternal food intake, body and tissue weight did not differ among groups. The number of resorptions, implantations, litter size, postnatal survival, body weight, and skeletal development were also similar. Alterations in maternal and offspring liver mineral concentrations were observed. The current results indicate that consumption of high amounts of epicatechin, catechin, and rutin during gestation and lactation is not associated with any marked developmental effects, although changes in liver mineral concentrations were noted.