Effects of Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation on Hepatic Apoptosis-Related Gene Expressions between Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Normal Body Weight Piglets

TS: Intrauterine growth retardation ( IU-GR) causes significantly negative effects on the meth-ylation status of genes related to cell apoptosis compared with normal body weight ( NBW) piglets. Thus,the objective of the present study was to examine the effects of maternal dietary folic acid supplementation on genes expression profile for hepatic apoptosis in IUGR and NBW piglets. Twenty four Yorkshire gilts were allocated randomly to one of the two diets:control (C,folic acid 1.3 mg/kg) or folic acid supplementation (FS, folic acid 30 mg/kg) after mating. Gene expressions in liver samples were determined and revealed that the mRNA expressions of p53, BCL-2 associated X protein ( Bax), and Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A) were up-regulated in IUGR piglets compared with NBW piglets fed C diets, but could be reversed by maternal folic acid supplementation. The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF), Serine-protein Kinase- Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) ,and Cad-herin-associated protein-beta-catenin 1 ( CTNNB1 ) were influenced by maternal folic acid supplementation significantly, but were not influenced by birth weight. Expression of p53 binding protein-MDM-2 (MDM-2) remained unchanged. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that maternal folic acid supplementation could exert positive effects on genes related to apoptosis in IUGR and NBW piglets, which might facilitate their postnatal health and growth performance.