Effect of undernutrition on the chemical composition and the activity of alkaline phosphatase in soluble and particulate fractions of the newborn rat calvarium and femur. I: Effect of gestational undernutrition in the rat.

We studied the effect of maternal protein deficiency on the development of the rat calvarium and femur. The results show that maternal protein deficiency during gestation leads to fetal growth retardation, and that the calvarium is more affected than the femur. A significant decrease in the activity of alkaline phosphatase was found in the soluble fraction in both the calvarium and the femur. However, this was not true in the case of the particulate fraction in which a significantly increased activity was found. This increase was not associated, however, with a concomitant increase in calcium and phosphorus (per 100 g fresh bone).