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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419444

Research Project: Optimizing Nutrient Management and Efficiency of Beef Cattle and Swine

Location: Nutrition, Growth and Physiology

Title: Protracted maternal malnutrition induces aberrant changes in maternal uterine artery hemodynamics and the metabolic profiles of the dam and neonate

Author
item Thorson, Jennifer
item PREZOTTO, LIGIA - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Frontiers in Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2024
Publication Date: 12/5/2024
Citation: Thorson, J.F., Prezotto, L.D. 2024. Protracted maternal malnutrition induces aberrant changes in maternal uterine artery hemodynamics and the metabolic profiles of the dam and neonate. Frontiers in Physiology. 15. Article 1501309. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1501309.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1501309

Interpretive Summary: Maternal blood supplies nutrients to the fetus throughout gestation. Alterations in blood flow to the fetus determine the availability and transport potential of nutrients. However, it remains to be shown if a reduction in blood flow to the fetus occurs due to preferential flow of blood to the digestive tract in cows due to divergent levels of nutrition. Within this report we have evaluated the influence of maternal undernutrition and overnutrition on uterine blood flow parameters as well as metabolic profile of the cow throughout gestation and the neonate at birth. This is the first report that concurrently investigates the effect of undernutrition and overnutrition throughout gestation on uterine blood flow parameters. Furthermore, the current work is the first to report the metabolic profile of paired samples collected from the dam and neonate when dams are subjected to malnutrition throughout pregnancy. We have revealed that maternal overnutrition reduces the flow of blood to the uterus and drives divergent metabolic profiles in the neonate. In conclusion, stress succumb by the fetus over a protracted period due to blood shunting may contribute to neonatal morbidity and reduced lifetime reproductive and nutritional performance.

Technical Abstract: Malnutritional stress during gestation is a well-established driver of metabolic disfunction in offspring. Extended exposure to malnutrition requires metabolic plasticity as the animal shifts toward a catabolic state. In this paper we demonstrate the influence of malnutrition throughout gestation on uterine artery hemodynamics and the metabolism of the dam and neonate. We hypothesized that gestational malnutrition reduces blood flow of the maternal uterine artery and regulates the metabolic profile of the dam and offspring. Further, the combination of these factors consequently influences the concentration of metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid of the neonate at birth. To test our hypotheses, pregnant cows caring a single female fetus were assigned to treatments by age and body condition score to one of three individually fed dietary treatments: Underfed, Control, or Overfed throughout gestation. Uterine blood flow was measured via transrectal Doppler ultrasonography in late gestation. Blood samples were collected from dams throughout gestation, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid were collected from neonates at birth to analyze concentration of metabolites. In the current report, we reveal that maternal malnutrition regulates uterine artery hemodynamics and the maternal metabolic profile throughout gestation. This is the first report to demonstrate that maternal undernutrition leads to an increase in the concentration of urea nitrogen in neonates. Finally, a concentration gradient of metabolites from the dam to neonatal cerebrospinal fluid was observed, which may have potential implications for central nervous system development. These findings not only illustrate the complexity of the maternal-to-fetal interaction required to support the growth of the fetus and homeostasis of the dam but also reveals a novel avenue for investigating the influence of protracted maternal malnutrition on metabolic pathway preferences in offspring. Moreover, these findings are of paramount importance in the development of intervention strategies for morbid neonates.