Effects of food restriction during rabbit pregnancy on fetal biometric parameters

The rabbit is an ideal animal model for the study of fetus programming related to maternal nutrition. Here we describe the influence of moderate food restriction in different gestational phases on fetus growth evaluated by ultrasound (US). Primiparous non lactating New White Zealand does (n = 20) were assigned to four groups. Control group was fed a standard ration while the others received a restricted amount of food (30% restriction) during early (0–9 days), mid (9– 18 days), and late (19–28 days) pregnancy. By US scans, performed at days 0, 4, 10, 14, 18, 22, and 26 of pregnancy, vesicle size, placental thickness, embryo length, and biparietal diameter were measured. Data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Bonferroni test. Food restriction affected vesicle size (p < 0.01) and embryo length (p < 0.001) depending on stage of nutritional privation during pregnancy and day of observation. However, biometric differences might also be attributable to litter size (larger body length when the number of live born ranging from 6 to 10; p < 0.01). In conclusion, the results indicate that fetus size is sensitive to maternal nutrition but inutero development is influenced by many factors that establish intricate reciprocal relationships.