Effect of sex and age on fatty acid composition of Iberian swine foetuses exposed to maternal malnutrition

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is the consequence of inadequate placental supply of oxygen and/or nutrients during prenatal development. The adaptive response of the offspring is time-dependent, but there is also increasing evidence of a strong modulation by sex. The present study aimed to determine time-related changes and sex-related differences in fatty acid composition at non-adipose tissues involved in metabolism regulation during the development of IUGR fetuses. For that, we analyzed the liver and muscle (longissimus dorsi) fatty acids composition of IUGRs foetuses (obtained as consequence of maternal malnutrition) throughout pregnancy (Day 70 vs. 90) and sex-related effects (male vs. female). The final distribution of sampled foetuses was: 33 foetuses at Day 70 of pregnancy (13 females and 20 males), and 23 foetuses at Day 90, (10 females and 13 males). Both in liver and muscle a higher concentration of saturated fatty acids (SFA; P