Effects of prenatal and postnatal nutritional deficiency on brain lipid composition in rats

Abstract

Studies were made of the effects of maternal protein deficiency during gestation and/or lactation on the lipid composition of the brain at different stages of neonatal development. Comparative data were obtained on animals undernourished by increasing litter size. The brains were analyzed for total lipid, cholesterol, phospholipid, galactolipid and, gangliosides soon after birth and at 14 and 21 days of age. Protein deficiency during gestation produced a decrease in body weight, brain weight and brain lipids but not lipid concentration. A greater growth retardation during the neonatal period resulted from maternal protein deficiency during lactation or lactation + gestation than from increase in litter size. At 14 days, only the former was found to affect the concentration of the various lipid fractions studied. At 21 days, deficits in concentrations were obtained in both cases, significantly greater deficits being found with maternal protein deficiency. No differences were found between animals deprived during only lactation or both gestation and lactation. The differences between the different groups are believed to be due to those in the degree of undernutrition rather than those due to the type of treatment per se.