PSVII-4 Mid-gestational nutrient restriction in the goat reduces muscle fiber number and induces collagen accumulation in the skeletal muscles of offspring.

Abstract Early gestational nutrient restriction Alters skeletal muscle development and predisposes the offspring to changes in body composition in various livestock species. This study examined the impact of mid-gestational nutrient restriction on male goat offspring’s skeletal muscles. Pregnant Boer goats with similar body weight and age were assigned randomly and fed either a control diet (CON: 100% NRC recommendations) or an NR diet (60% of CON) from 45 to 100 days of gestation and re-alimented to control diet until term (n=15/group). Male offspring were fed a control diet to fulfill their requirement for growth and maintenance till five months of age and were slaughtered for tissue collection (n = 6/group). Muscle samples of Left Biceps Femoris (LBF) and Left Semitendinosus (LST) tissues were collected, fixed, and paraffin-embedded for histological evaluation. Muscle fiber number and diameter were quantified using samples stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and muscle collagen content was measured using samples stained with Masson’s trichrome staining. Data was analyzed by mixed procedures of SAS, presented as means ± SE, and differences were considered significant at P ≤ 0.05. While LBF muscle collagen content did not differ significantly in NR and CON (8.1 ± 1.35 vs. 5.8 ± 1.23 (%)), LBF muscle fiber number was greater (P< 0.1) in CON than NR kids (211 ± 27.57 vs. 133.4 ± 20.1). LST muscle collagen content was markedly greater (P< 0.05) in NR kids than in controls (8.42 ± 1.40 vs. 4.37 ± 1.40 (%)). These data show that mid-gestational nutrient restriction may impact male Boer goat offspring growth performance and carcass quality.