Factors controlling nutrient availability to the developing fetus in ruminants

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Abstract

Inadequate delivery of nutrients results in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in livestock. In ruminants, inadequate nutrition during pregnancy is often prevalent due to frequent utilization of exensive forage based grazing systems, making them highly susceptible to changes in nutrient quality and availability. Delivery of nutrients to the fetus is dependent on a number of critical factors including placental growth and development, utero-placental blood flow, nutrient availability, and placental metabolism and transport capacity. Previous findings from our laboratory and others, highlight essential roles for amino acids and their metabolites in supporting normal fetal growth and development, as well as the critical role for amino acid transporters in nutrient delivery to the fetus. The focus of this review will be on the role of maternal nutrition on placental form and function as a regulator of fetal development in ruminants.

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Regulatory role for the arginine-nitric oxide pathway in metabolism of energy substrates.

Guoyao Wu, Susan Fried, Jin-Fu Yang … (2006)

Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized from L-arginine by NO synthase in virtually all cell types. Emerging evidence shows that NO regulates the metabolism of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids in mammals. As an oxidant, pathological levels of NO inhibit nearly all enzyme-catalyzed reactions through protein oxidation. However, as a signaling molecule, physiological levels of NO stimulate glucose uptake as well as glucose and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle, heart, liver and adipose tissue; inhibit the synthesis of glucose, glycogen, and fat in target tissues (e.g., liver and adipose); and enhance lipolysis in adipocytes. Thus, an inhibition of NO synthesis causes hyperlipidemia and fat accretion in rats, whereas dietary arginine supplementation reduces fat mass in diabetic fatty rats. The putative underlying mechanisms may involve multiple cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate-dependent pathways. First, NO stimulates the phosphorylation of adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase, resulting in (1) a decreased level of malonyl-CoA via inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and activation of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase and (2) a decreased expression of genes related to lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis (glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase). Second, NO increases the phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase and perilipins, leading to the translocation of the lipase to the neutral lipid droplets and, hence, the stimulation of lipolysis. Third, NO activates expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha, thereby enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Fourth, NO increases blood flow to insulin-sensitive tissues, promoting substrate uptake and product removal via the circulation. Modulation of the arginine-NO pathway through dietary supplementation with L-arginine or L-citrulline may aid in the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome in obese humans and companion animals, and in reducing unfavorable fat mass in animals of agricultural importance.

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A Comparison of the Histological Structure of the Placenta in Experimental Animals

Satoshi Furukawa, Yusuke Kuroda, Akihiko Sugiyama (2014)

The primary function of the placenta is to act as an interface between the dam and fetus. The anatomic structure of the chorioallantoic placenta in eutherian mammals varies between different animal species. The placental types in eutherian mammals are classified from various standpoints based on the gross shape, the histological structure of the materno-fetal interface, the type of materno-fetal interdigitation, etc. Particularly, the histological structure is generally considered one of the most useful and instructive classifications for functionally describing placental type. In this system, three main types are recognized according to the cell layers comprising the interhemal area: (1) epitheliochorial type (horses, pigs and ruminants), (2) endotheliochorial type (carnivores) and (3) hemochorial type (primates, rodents and rabbits). The number of cell layers in the interhemal area is considered to modify the transfer of nutrients between maternal and fetal blood and is one of the important factors with respect to the difference in placental permeability between animal species. Therefore, in reproductive and developmental toxicity studies, careful attention should be paid to the histological structure of the interhemal area when extrapolating information concerning placental transfer characteristics to different animal species.

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Pregnancy and lactation: physiological adjustments, nutritional requirements and the role of dietary supplements.

Mary Frances Picciano (2003)

Nutritional needs are increased during pregnancy and lactation for support of fetal and infant growth and development along with alterations in maternal tissues and metabolism. Total nutrient needs are not necessarily the sum of those accumulated in maternal tissues, products of pregnancy and lactation and those attributable to the maintenance of nonreproducing women. Maternal metabolism is adjusted through the elaboration of hormones that serve as mediators, redirecting nutrients to highly specialized maternal tissues specific to reproduction (i.e., placenta and mammary gland). It is most unlikely that the heightened nutrient needs for successful reproduction can always be met from the maternal diet. Requirements for energy-yielding macronutrients increase modestly compared with several micronutrients that are unevenly distributed among foods. Altered nutrient utilization and mobilization of reserves often offset enhanced needs but sometimes nutrient deficiencies are precipitated by reproduction. There are only limited data from well-controlled intervention studies with dietary supplements and with few exceptions (iron during pregnancy and folate during the periconceptional period), the evidence is not strong that nutrient supplements confer measurable benefit. More research is needed and in future studies attention must be given to subject characteristics that may influence ability to meet maternal and infant demands (genetic and environmental), nutrient-nutrient interactions, sensitivity and selectivity of measured outcomes and proper use of proxy measures. Consideration of these factors in future studies of pregnancy and lactation are necessary to provide an understanding of the links among maternal diet; nutritional supplementation; and fetal, infant and maternal health.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Kathrin A Dunlap: kdunlap@tamu.edu

Jacob D Brown: jakebrown14@tamu.edu

Ashley B Keith: akeith76@tamu.edu

M Carey Satterfield: csatterfield@tamu.edu

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Anim Sci Biotechnol

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Anim Sci Biotechnol

Title: Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Print): 1674-9782

ISSN (Electronic): 2049-1891

Publication date (Electronic): 11 April 2015

Publication date PMC-release: 11 April 2015

Publication date Collection: 2015

Volume: 6

Issue: 1

Electronic Location Identifier: 16

Affiliations

Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, 2471 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843 USA

Article

Publisher ID: 12

DOI: 10.1186/s40104-015-0012-5

PMC ID: 4407308

PubMed ID: 25908972

SO-VID: 4c0b28f5-621c-4005-a305-fc67401e9a21

License:

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

History

Date received : 1 August 2014

Date accepted : 23 March 2015

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Animal science & Zoology

Keywords: intrauterine growth restriction,nutrient transport,placenta,ruminant

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Animal science & Zoology

Keywords: intrauterine growth restriction, nutrient transport, placenta, ruminant

Factors controlling nutrient availability to the developing fetus in ruminants

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Abstract

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Animal models of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)

Most cited references 106

Regulatory role for the arginine-nitric oxide pathway in metabolism of energy substrates.

A Comparison of the Histological Structure of the Placenta in Experimental Animals

Pregnancy and lactation: physiological adjustments, nutritional requirements and the role of dietary supplements.

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