Effect of intrauterine growth restriction during late pregnancy on the growth performance, blood components, immunity and anti-oxidation capability of ovine fetus

Abstract This study investigated the effect of intrauterine growth restriction on the growth performance, blood components, immunity and anti-oxidation capability of ovine fetus during late pregnancy. Six ewes out of 36 Mongolian ewes were slaughtered at d90 of pregnancy to serve as an initial comparison group. The remaining 29 animals were allocated to three different groups: Restricted Group1 (RG1, 0.18 MJ ME kg w −0.75  d −1 , n =12), Restricted Group2 (RG2, 0.33 MJ ME kg w −0.75  d −1 , n =9) and Control Group (CG, ad libitum, 0.67 MJ ME kg w −0.75  d −1 , n =8). At 140 d of gestation, 6 fetuses in each groups were removed to determine the body weight, measurements and the umbilical cord blood was collected to analyze the blood components, CD4 + , CD8 + T cells, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The results indicated the fetal weight ( P P P P P P P P + and CD8 + T cells ( P P P P P P P P P