title: Influences of maternal B₁₂ and methionine intake during gestation and lactation on testicular development of offspring in rats.
abstract: The influence of maternal vitamin B₁₂ malnutrition on testicular development of offspring was examined using soy protein-based B₁₂-deficient diets with or without 0.5% DL-methionine supplementation. Dams were fed the B₁₂-deficient diet throughout gestation and lactation, whereas dams in a control group were fed a control diet which contained cyanocobalamin in the B₁₂-deficient diet without methionine. Offspring born to dams fed the B₁₂-deficient diet without methionine showed poor testicular development, e.g. decreased numbers of seminiferous tubules containing healthy spermatocytes and a high ratio of apoptotic cells per all germ cells. The abnormality was rarely observed in the group fed the B₁₂-deficient diet with methionine. It was likely that the testicular abnormality of offspring was caused by B₁₂-deficiency post partum and was prevented by the methionine supplementation. These observations suggested that maternal B₁₂ nutritional status during the pre-weaning period is quite important for spermatogenesis of male offspring and that the requirement of B₁₂ for testicular development is to produce active B₁₂-dependent methionine synthase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biology and Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Biosciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Okayama 156-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Nozomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morinaga
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatake
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Tadahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
authors.forename: Tetsunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawata
mesh_terms: D013766:5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008715:Methionine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013733:Testicular Diseases / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013737:Testis / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D008715:Methionine; D013766:5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase; D014805:Vitamin B 12