Table 3.
Fetal body and organ weight at d 65 (0.44 gestation) from ewes fed control or low protein diet
| Parameter | Male fetuses |
Female fetuses |
P |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP | LP | CP | LP | D | S | D × S | |
| n | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |||
| Fetal weight (g) | 126 ± 8 | 123 ± 8 | 131 ± 9 | 120 ± 8 | 0.42 | 0.90 | 0.68 |
| Crown-rump length (cm) | 16.6 ± 0.4 | 17.4 ± 0.4 | 17.3 ± 0.4 | 16.7 ± 0.4 | 0.74 | 0.88 | 0.09 |
| Heart weight (g/100 g) | 0.95 ± 0.03 | 0.91 ± 0.03 | 0.85 ± 0.03 | 0.97 ± 0.03 | 0.39 | 0.56 | 0.02 |
| Kidney weight (g/100 g) | 1.42 ± 0.05 | 1.42 ± 0.05 | 1.28 ± 0.06 | 1.44 ± 0.05 | 0.23 | 0.33 | 0.22 |
| Liver weight (g/100 g) | 6.90 ± 0.19 | 6.61 ± 0.21 | 6.64 ± 0.22 | 6.86 ± 0.19 | 0.85 | 0.97 | 0.23 |
Data are means ± sem for ewes bearing twins fed a CP diet (n=15 ewes, n=30 fetuses) or an LP diet (n=16 ewes, n=32 fetuses) to d 65 or 0.44 gestation. Data were analyzed by the general linear mixed model for the fixed effects of diet (D; CP vs. LP) or fetal sex (S; male or female). Ewe was incorporated as a random effect in the model due to the nested, reduced variability of twins sharing the same intrauterine environment. All analyses were conducted using Genstat 14, and statistical significance was considered acceptable at P < 0.05; effects on fetal organs were considered only after correction for fetal body size. Maternal weights at postmortem did not differ between diet groups (CP, 60.5±1.0 vs. LP, 58.4±1.0 kg; P=0.15).