BACKGROUND: The effects of in-uterus malnutrition depend on the developmental stage of the fetus or the organ, being more intense and permanent the earlier it happens and the later the nutritional recovery occurs. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the changes in the small bowel regarding in-uterus malnutrition and after lactation in Wistar rats' pups that underwent pregnancy in dietary restriction and compare them to a control group. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The pregnant dams were divided into two groups; the control group received ad libitum diet whereas the food deprivation group had 50% of that intake. At birth, the litters were evaluated on the number of pups and their weight. Twenty-four hours after delivery, part of them was sacrificed and evaluated one at a time. In the intestine, the total height of the mucosa, the height of the villi, the height of the enterocyte and the thickness of the villi were studied by means of microscopic morphometry. The same measures were applied after lactation and the results were compared between groups. RESULTS: After delivery, individual weight, body length and intestine length were lower in the pups whose mothers were fed with a restricted diet during pregnancy. Such results were sustained after lactation, except the body length, that was similar for both groups. All the varieties studied in the microscopic morphometry were significantly lower in the group of malnutrition mothers. After lactation, the thickness of the villi was recovered, although the other varieties remained low. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study indicates that a maternal diet restriction to 50% ad libitum induces lower maternal weight and produces smaller pups. The small intestinal length and the microscopic morphometry of the malnutrition group are diminished and the majority of the differences are maintained after the lactation period with positive correlation to the weight of the pups.
Malnutrition, Rats; Intestine, small
