In gilts, the period of early pregnancy occurring from the time of fertilization to the beginning of implantation is sensitive to any environmental disruptions, including an unbalanced diet of a future mother. Previously, we found that due to the undernutrition in gilts during this period, the endocrine intrauterine microenvironment and DNA methylation in the uterus have been changed. These distortions may diminish the success of pregnancy. In this study we focused on the influence of a restricted diet used in gilts during the first days of pregnancy on their biochemical and haematological parameters in peripheral blood. The applied restrictive diet vs. normal diet covered only 70% of the nutritional demands of early pregnant gilts. Normal (n = 4 gilts) or restrictive (n = 5 gilts) diets were used from the day of the first signs of the estrus until day 9 of pregnancy and biochemical and haematological parameters in blood plasma were determined during peri-implantation period, e.g. on days 15 to16 of pregnancy. In restrictive vs. normal fed gilts significantly lower plasma phosphorus, calcium and total cholesterol as well as the tendency to increasing concentrations of triglicerydes and asparate aminotranserase were found. Haematological parameters did not differ between the studied gilts. Thus, it seems that the availability of nutritional factors became suboptimal in restrictively fed early pregnant gilts. Even short-lasting undernutrition of females during the peri-conceptional period may cause a disruption of biochemical homeostasis during the peri-implantation period and probably affect the success of pregnancy.

21.1.2016