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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 50(9)

Effects of ewe size and nutrition during pregnancy on glucose metabolism, fat metabolism and adrenal function of postpubertal female twin offspring

D. S. van der Linden A B D E , P. R. Kenyon A B , H. T. Blair A B , N. Lopez-Villalobos A , C. M. C. Jenkinson A B , S. W. Peterson A B and D. D. S. Mackenzie B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sheep Research Group, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

B National Research Centre for Growth and Development, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

C Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

D Present address: Applied Biotechnology Group, AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

E Corresponding author. Email: danitsja.vanderlinden@agresearch.co.nz

Animal Production Science 50(9) 869-879 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN09131
Submitted: 5 October 2009  Accepted: 7 June 2010   Published: 29 September 2010

Abstract

Little is known about the long-term metabolic effects of maternal constraint on the offspring and whether a possible interaction of dam size and nutrition during gestation exists, affecting postnatal metabolic functions in the offspring. Four hundred and fifty heavy (H) (60.8 ± 0.18 kg) and 450 light (L) (42.5 ± 0.17 kg) Romney dams were allocated to ad libitum (A) or maintenance (M) nutritional regimens under New Zealand pastoral grazing conditions, from Day 21 to 140 after insemination. One week before lambing, all dams and offspring were managed as one group and provided with ad libitum feeding. At 16 months of age, female twin-born offspring (n = 12 per size by nutrition group) were catheterised and given intravenous insulin (0.15 IU/kg) (ITT), glucose (0.17 g/kg) (GTT) and epinephrine (1 μg/kg) (ETT) challenges to assess their glucose and fat metabolism and adrenal function. No effects of dam size or interactions between dam size and dam nutrition were found on glucose or fat metabolism or adrenal function. In response to the ETT, M-dam offspring showed greater (P < 0.05) peak glucose concentrations, increased (P < 0.05) glucose area under the curve and tended (P < 0.10) to have increased maximum change in glucose and non-esterified free fatty acid concentrations compared with A-ewes. No effects of dam nutrition were found on glucose tolerance, insulin resistance or adrenal function in response to GTT and ITT. In conclusion, dam size had no effect on glucose metabolism, adrenal function or fat metabolism in 16-month-old female twin offspring. Dam nutrition during pregnancy from Day 21 to 140 had no major effect on glucose metabolism, adrenal function or lipolysis; however, it did potentially affect gluconeogenesis and/or glycogenolysis, as increased glucose concentrations in ewes born to M-fed dams were observed in response to ETT. These results indicate that M-ewes could have an advantage over A-ewes in physiological stressful situations in life (e.g. pregnancy, lactation) as their liver may be able to supply more glucose to support their growing conceptus and milk production to increase the chances of survival of their offspring.


Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Florence Delassus, who assisted with all the animal work and data collection, Dr Mark Oliver at Auckland University for his helpful advice, the team at IVABS for their help with blood collection and Eric Thorstensen at Auckland University for the blood analyses. The authors are grateful to Massey University, Meat and Wool New Zealand and the National Research Centre for Growth and Development for providing funding assistance for this project. The senior author is funded by an AGMARDT doctoral scholarship.


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