Altered gestational outcomes and delayed pubertal onset in prenatally and early postnatally food restricted male and female rats: mitigation by quercetin and kaempferol.

Abstract

Nutrigenomic malnutrition during pregnancy and early postnatal life has serious consequences on original organ-programing, growth pattern, puberty and quality of life. The aim of this was to investigate the effect of two notable flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol, with nutrigenomic potentials on prenatal and early postnatal food restrictions or both on gestational outcomes and the onset of puberty in male and females Wister rats. In three sets of experiments consisting of prenatal, postnatal food deprivations or both, rats were distributed into various treatment groups (n = 6). Prenatal food restriction (PrNFR) was initiated by 50% of ad libitum available diet in pregnancy (days 1-22) simultaneously with quercetin (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o./day) or kaempferol (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o./day) until delivery. However, postnatal food restriction (PsNFR) was simulated by litter-increment to 16 pups per mother from postnatal day 2 together with quercetin (50-200 mg/kg, p.o.) or kaempferol (50-200 mg/kg, p.o.) treatments until weaning (day 24) respectively. The last experiment encompasses both protocols with similar treatment protocols. Kaempferol attenuated PrNFR-induced alterations in gestational length compared to PrNFR-control. Quercetin and kaempferol significantly (P < 0.05) normalized nose-length of pups of rats exposed to PrNFR. Quercetin and kaempferol reduced the number of stillbirths due to PrNFR. Both also reduced the delay in pubertal onset as evidenced by normal onset of balanopreputial-separation and vaginal-opening in the PrNFR, PsNFR and PrNFR-PsNFR male and female rats respectively. Together, quercetin and kaempferol prevents prenatal and postnatal malnutrition-induced altered gestational outcomes and pubertal delays in rats.