Effect of intrauterine growth restriction during late pregnancy on the growth performance, blood components, immunity and anti-oxidation capability of ovine fetus

This study investigated the effect of intrauterine growth restriction on the growth performance, blood components, immunity and anti-oxidation capability of ovine fetus during late pregnancy. Six ewes out of 36 Mongolian ewes were slaughtered at d90 of pregnancy to serve as an initial comparison group. The remaining 29 animals were allocated to three different groups: Restricted Group1 (RG1, 0.18 MJ ME kg w−0.75 d−1, n=12), Restricted Group2 (RG2, 0.33 MJ ME kg w−0.75 d−1, n=9) and Control Group (CG, ad libitum, 0.67 MJ ME kg w−0.75 d−1, n=8). At 140 d of gestation, 6 fetuses in each groups were removed to determine the body weight, measurements and the umbilical cord blood was collected to analyze the blood components, CD4+, CD8+ T cells, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The results indicated the fetal weight (P<0.01), body length (P<0.05), thoracic girth (P<0.05), abdomen circumference (P<0.05), curved crown-rump length (P<0.01), red blood cell count (P<0.01), hemoglobin (P<0.01), packed cell volume (P<0.01), CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (P<0.05), T-AOC (P<0.01), SOD (P<0.05) were decreased and mean platelet volume (P<0.05), red cell distribution width% (P<0.05), GSH-Px (P<0.05) and MDA (P<0.05) were greatly enhanced in RG1 group. For RG2, a decrease of fetal weight (P<0.01) and T-AOC (P<0.05) was found in relation to CG group. With the decrease of the maternal dietary energy density, the fetal severe malnourished anemia, decreased immune capability and antioxidant imbalance appeared. These perturbations may have significant implications on postnatal growth and health, and will allow more effective predictions of fetal response to harsh conditions.