Maternal selenium supplementation and timing of nutrient restriction in pregnant sheep: Impacts on nutrient availability to the fetus

To determine the effects of maternal Se intake and plane of nutrition during mid or late gestation or both on AA concentrations and metabolite concentrations in the dam and fetus, pregnant ewe lambs (n = 64) were assigned to 1 of 8 treatments arranged in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial array: Se level [initiated at breeding; adequate (ASe; 3.05 μg/kg of BW) or high (HSe; 70.4 μg/kg of BW)] and nutritional level [100% (control; CON) or 60% (restricted; RES) of NRC recommendations] fed at different times of gestation [d 50 to 90 (mid) or d 91 to 132 (late)]. A blood sample was obtained from each ewe and fetus on d 132 of gestation and used to measure circulating concentrations of glucose, NEFA, blood urea N, and AA. The late RES ewes and their fetuses had less (P ≤ 0.03) circulating glucose compared with late CON ewes and fetuses at d 132; however, no effect (P ≥ 0.14) of diet on the fetal:maternal glucose concentration ratio was observed. Late RES ewes had a smaller (P = 0.01) fetal:maternal NEFA ratio compared with late CON ewes. Ewes fed ASe had a greater (P = 0.01) fetal:maternal blood urea N ratio compared with HSe ewes. Fetal:maternal ratios of total circulating AA, total essential AA, and total nonessential AA were each affected (P ≤ 0.03) by the combination of Se treatment and late gestation nutritional level.