title: Improving maternal vitamin D status promotes prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle development of pig offspring.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide problem. Although vitamin D has been implicated in muscle development, little is known about the effects of maternal vitamin D status on the muscle development of offspring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of improving maternal vitamin D status by dietary 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25 OHD3) supplementation on prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle development of offspring, using pigs as the model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty gilts were allocated to a normal vitamin D (ND) dietary group with 50 μg/kg vitamin D3 or a high-vitamin D (HD) group with an additional 50 μg/kg 25 OHD3 from mating to weaning. Muscle samples were obtained from piglets at birth and weaning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum 25 OHD concentrations were significantly increased in gilts and newborn piglets in the HD group compared with those in the ND group (P < 0.01). Maternal HD significantly increased numbers of muscle fiber in the longissimus dorsi (LM) of newborn piglets (+23.53%; P < 0.01) and weaning piglets (+27.47%; P < 0.05). Meanwhile, maternal HD had significant effects on cross-sectional areas of muscle fiber in psoas major (PM; +12.82%; P < 0.05) and LM (+22.62%; P < 0.05) of weaning piglets. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction revealed that PM and LM of piglets from the HD group had higher IGF2, IGF2 R, MyOD1, and myogenin mRNA expressions, but lower MyHC Ι and myostatin mRNA expressions than those of the ND piglets (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that improving maternal vitamin D status by dietary supplementation with 25 OHD3 can promote prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle development of pig offspring by modulating the expressions of muscle transcription factors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Tongwei Co. LTD, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhengfeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lianqiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Che
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shengyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Nutrition and Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Resistance Nutrition of the Ministry of Education of China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: pig2pig@sina.com.
authors.forename: De
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D023421:Models, Animal; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009124:Muscle Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
keywords: Maternal vitamin D; Mothers; Muscle development; Offspring; Serum 25 OHD