Craniofacial growth modification resulting from postnatal nutritional rehabilitation in rats with intrauterine growth retardation.

LUNA ME; QUINTERO FA; CESANI MF; FUCINI MC; GUIMAREY LM; VILLANUEVA M; PRIO V; OYHENART EE

La Plata

Congreso; XIV Congreso de Ciencias Morfológicas y 11as Jornadas de Educación; 2012

Sociedad de Ciencias Morfológicas de La Plata

The aim was to analyze the effect of lactational and post-lactational nutritional rehabilitation of cranial growth in rats with intrauterine growth retardation. Wistar rats were divided into Control (C) and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) groups. The IUGR group was made up of offspring whose mothers received partial ligation of both uterine arteries at day 15 of gestation. From birth, mothers were nutritionally rehabilitated during lactation and the offspring during post-lactation. The animals were x-rayed at day 1, 21 and 84 of postnatal life and length, width and height of the neurocranium and splanchnocranium were measured. Neural (NVI) and facial (FVI) volumetric indices were calculated. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, multivariate analysis of variance, post hoc test, and discriminant function analysis (DA) were applied. The results indicated significant differences between C and IUGR groups for age, sex and treatment. NVI and FVI analysis at birth showed significant differences in both sexes, at 21 days only in males, and at 84 days in males with NVI and females on both indices. The DA differentiated treatment and sex in all ages. The results obtained show the effect caused by prenatal stress, even when mediating nutritional rehabilitation. Cranial recovery depends on the gender and region analyzed. Males showed belatedly facial compensatory growth. Even though the females recovered cranial size during lactation they then presented growth retardation.