Maternal Dietary Supplementation with Oligofructose-Enriched Inulin in Gestating/Lactating Rats Preserves Maternal Bone and Improves Bone Microarchitecture in Their Offspring

PLoS One. 2016 Apr 26;11(4):e0154120. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154120. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Nutrition during pregnancy and lactation could exert a key role not only on maternal bone, but also could influence the skeletal development of the offspring. This study was performed in rats to assess the relationship between maternal dietary intake of prebiotic oligofructose-enriched inulin and its role in bone turnover during gestation and lactation, as well as its effect on offspring peak bone mass/architecture during early adulthood. Rat dams were fed either with standard rodent diet (CC group), calcium-fortified diet (Ca group), or prebiotic oligofructose-enriched inulin supplemented diet (Pre group), during the second half of gestation and lactation. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC), as well as micro-structure of dams and offspring at different stages were analysed. Dams in the Pre group had significantly higher trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and smaller specific bone surface (BS/BV) of the tibia in comparison with CC dams. The Pre group offspring during early adulthood had an increase of the lumbar vertebra BMD when compared with offspring of CC and Ca groups. The Pre group offspring also showed significant increase versus CC in cancellous and cortical structural parameters of the lumbar vertebra 4 such as Tb.Th, cortical BMD and decreased BS/BV. The results indicate that oligofructose-enriched inulin supplementation can be considered as a plausible nutritional option for protecting against maternal bone loss during gestation and lactation preventing bone fragility and for optimizing peak bone mass and architecture of the offspring in order to increase bone strength.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Density / drug effects
  • Bone Development / drug effects
  • Bone and Bones / anatomy & histology
  • Bone and Bones / drug effects*
  • Bone and Bones / ultrastructure
  • Female
  • Inulin / administration & dosage
  • Inulin / pharmacology*
  • Lactation / drug effects
  • Oligosaccharides / administration & dosage*
  • Prebiotics / administration & dosage*
  • Prebiotics / analysis
  • Pregnancy
  • Rats / anatomy & histology
  • Rats / growth & development
  • Rats / physiology*
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Substances

  • Oligosaccharides
  • Prebiotics
  • oligofructose
  • Inulin

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Abbott Nutrition R&D, and co-authors PBV, MM, JMLP and RR receive salary from Abbott Nutrition. The funders had a role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript.