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In-utero Fetal and Placental Development Following Maternal Protein Repletion in Rats¹

Mental Retardation Research Center, Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024

The effects of early short term maternal protein deprivation during pregnancy on fetal and placental development have been investigated. The parameters used to assess fetal and neonatal development were: body weight, cerebral weight, cerebral DNA and protein content. In addition to these fetal parameters, placental development was also estimated by determining the wet weight, placental cell number (estimated by DNA content) and cell size (protein:DNA ratio). Analyses were made on days 16, 18, and 20 of pregnancy and on the day of spontaneous delivery. Although protein deprivation during pregnancy, commencing with the day of mating until day 6 of pregnancy, resulted in a decrease in some fetal parameters in-utero as compared to normal control fetuses, there was no deficit in any measured parameter at the time of natural birth except in cerebral protein content. These results were compared to those obtained when the protein deprivation was imposed during day 0 to day 10 or during days 10 to 15 of gestation. Cerebral weight and cerebral DNA content at the time of natural birth were similar to or greater than those of the untreated controls. Examination and comparison of the data, obtained on the 16th, 18th, and 20th day of gestation in all three experimental groups, indicate that a short term protein deprivation, regardless of the specific time period, affects fetal development. If the protein deprivation is past day 6 of pregnancy, the length of gestation is prolonged. The decrease in the proportion of pregnancies carried to term in rats deprived of protein early in pregnancy was also investigated. Evidence for an exceedingly short but crucial time period as the regulating factor for the outcome of pregnancy was found.

KEY WORDS: • protein deprivation • prenatal brain rehabilitation

¹ This study was supported by Grants HD-04612, HD-05394, HD-05615, and HD-08927 from the U.S. Public Health Service.

Manuscript received 7 September 1976.