Disentangling prenatal and postnatal maternal genetic effects reveals persistent prenatal effects on offspring growth in mice.

Bigger mothers are better mothers: disentangling size-related prenatal and postnatal maternal effects

Despite a vast literature on the factors controlling adult size, few studies have investigated how maternal size affects offspring size independent of direct genetic effects, thereby separating prenatal from postnatal influences. I used a novel experimental design that combined a cross-fostering approach with phenotypic manipulation of maternal body size that allowed me to disentangle prenatal ...

P-19: The Effect of Mice Maternal Diet Supplemented with Omega-3 Fatty Acids on The Testicular Structure of Offspring: Stereological Study

Background Despite the bulk of studies on fatty acid supplementation in maternal diet and confirmed the positive effects on brain and vision, these effects on offspring reproductive organs have not been tested. The aim of the present study was to stereological evaluate the effect of feeding Fish Oil (FO) for mothers on the testis structure of offspring. MaterialsAndMethods Sixty mature female N...

Evaluation of the Protective Effect of Astaxanthin Against Undesired Effects of Prenatal Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Exposure on Maternal Behaviors and Neuronal Changes of Adult Male Offspring in NMRI Mice

Background: Prenatal bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) exposure causes damage of the brain and gonadal system.The aim of this study included determination of astaxanthin effect to ameliorate undesired effects of bacterial LPS during fetal period and improve maternal behavior, body weight and length and neural changes in adult male NMRI mice. Methods: Pregnant female mice were divided into fou...

Effects of Prenatal Lipopolysaccharide Exposure on Reproductive Activities and Serum Concentrations of Pituitary-Gonadal Hormones in Mice Offspring

Disentangling prenatal and inherited influences in humans with an experimental design.

Exposure to adversity in utero at a sensitive period of development can bring about physiological, structural, and metabolic changes in the fetus that affect later development and behavior. However, the link between prenatal environment and offspring outcomes could also arise and confound because of the relation between maternal and offspring genomes. As human studies cannot randomly assign off...