Effect of Litter Size on Weight Gain in Rats

Male rats, placed in litters of 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 on the first postnatal day, were weighed at 3-day intervals and killed at days 21 or 58. The carcasses were assayed for total protein, DNA and lipid. Animals raised in litters of 16 were significantly smaller than any of the others at all times exam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of nutrition Vol. 106; no. 5; pp. 697 - 701
Main Authors Wurtman, Judith J., Miller, Sanford A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.1976
Subjects
Age Factors
Animals
Body Composition
Body Weight
Diet
DNA - metabolism
Female
Lactation
Lipid Metabolism
Litter Size
Male
neonate
nutrition
Pregnancy
Proteins - metabolism
Rats - growth & development
Weaning
body weight
nutrition
body composition
neonate
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Summary:Male rats, placed in litters of 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 on the first postnatal day, were weighed at 3-day intervals and killed at days 21 or 58. The carcasses were assayed for total protein, DNA and lipid. Animals raised in litters of 16 were significantly smaller than any of the others at all times examined, and their carcasses contained significantly less protein, DNA and lipid. In contrast, animals raised in very small litters exhibited no persistent significant differences in body weight or composition from animals raised in standard-sized litters of 8 or 12.
Bibliography:S30
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ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0022-3166
1541-6100
DOI:10.1093/jn/106.5.697