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- Title
The effect of maternal undernutrition on muscle development in the ovine fetus.
- Authors
Demirtaş, Berjan; Özcan, Mukaddes
- Abstract
The effect of maternal undernutrition on muscle development of near-term ovine fetuses was studied in 2 experiments. In each experiment, Welsh mountain ewes were randomly assigned to either control (C) or nutrientrestricted (R) groups. In the first experiment, mild maternal undernutrition (85% of daily nutritional requirement (DNR)), and in the second experiment, severe maternal undernutrition (50% of DNR), were imposed between 0 and 70 days of gestation (dg). Controls for both groups were maintained on 100% of their DNR throughout the experiment. In each experiment, ewes were killed at 126 ± 1 dg by an intravenous injection of pentobarbitone. The semitendinosus muscle was dissected, and sections were stained for alkali-stable ATPase. The total number of primary and secondary fibers and the total number of fibers were estimated. In both experiments, there was a significant decrease in primary, secondary, and total fiber numbers (P < 0.05 for each). We speculate that the decrease in primary fiber number in both experiments is due to some of the large, central, and alkali-ATPase-negative (slow) fibers at near-term being secondary fibers. Therefore, the real primary fibers may not be affected.
- Subjects
MALNUTRITION; FETAL development; CATTLE nutrition requirements; PREGNANCY in animals; ADENOSINE triphosphatase; FIBER in animal nutrition
- Publication
Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, 2012, Vol 36, Issue 3, p297
- ISSN
1300-0128
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3906/vet-1105-45