Reduced mature size in progeny of swine severely restricted in protein intake during pregnancy.

The objective was to determine the effects of maternal gestation diet on mature body and organ size and composition of progeny. Female progeny of swine fed daily 1.8 kg (6,000 kcal DE) of a semipurified diet containing less than 0.5% protein (PR), 1.8 kg (6,000 kcal) of a standard maize-soybean meal-based gestation diet (C) or 0.6 kg (2,000 kcal DE) of C diet to d 70 of gestation and 1.8 kg (6,000 kcal DE) from d 71 to parturition (R) were used. They were fed ad libitum a standard maize-soybean meal-based growing diet to age 25 wk, then continued on limited feed intake to age 62 wk, then returned to ad libitum intake to age 119 wk. Body weight and ultrasonically determined subcutaneous backfat depth were recorded at 62, 79, 97, 105 and 119 wk of age and indices of body composition and organ weights were recorded on carcasses of animals killed at age 119 wk. Progeny of PR dams were permanently stunted in mature body weight and in weights of eviscerated carcass, heart, liver, kidneys, stomach and small intestine, but not in cerebrum, cerebellum weights or RNA and DNA content. It is concluded that severe protein restriction during gestation in swine resulted in permanent whole body weight stunting of progeny but that weights and total protein, RNA and DNA content of cerebrum, cerebellum and RNA and DNA concentration of longissimus muscle were unaffected.