Reproductive and developmental outcomes, and influence on maternal and offspring tissue mineral concentrations, of (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, and rutin ingestion prior to, and during pregnancy and lactation in C57BL/6J mice

Mary N R Lesser; Carl L Keen; Louise Lanoue

doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2015.01.003

Reproductive and developmental outcomes, and influence on maternal and offspring tissue mineral concentrations, of (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, and rutin ingestion prior to, and during pregnancy and lactation in C57BL/6J mice

Toxicol Rep. 2015 Jan 10:2:443-449. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2015.01.003. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Mary N R Lesser^{1

2}, Carl L Keen^{3

4}, Louise Lanoue³

Affiliations

¹ Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, 5700 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland, CA 94609, United States.
² Department of Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, 119 Morgan Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.
³ Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.

Abstract

Maternal nutrition can have a significant effect on developmental processes during pregnancy and lactation. While certain flavonoids have been postulated to be beneficial for health, little is known about the effects of ingestion during pregnancy and lactation on the mother and progeny. We report on the effects of maternal consumption of high levels of certain flavonoids on reproductive and developmental outcomes in a mouse model. C57BL/6J female mice were fed a control diet (CT), the CT diet supplemented with 1% or 2% of a mix of epicatechin and catechin (EC1, EC2), or rutin (RU1, RU2) prior to, during pregnancy, and lactation. A subset of dams was killed on gestation day (GD) 18.5 to evaluate fetal outcomes and the remainder was allowed to deliver to evaluate offspring. Maternal food intake, body and tissue weight did not differ among groups. The number of resorptions, implantations, litter size, postnatal survival, body weight, and skeletal development were also similar. Alterations in maternal and offspring liver mineral concentrations were observed. The current results indicate that consumption of high amounts of epicatechin, catechin, and rutin during gestation and lactation is not associated with any marked developmental effects, although changes in liver mineral concentrations were noted.

Keywords: (+)-Catechin; (+)-Catechin hydrate (PubChem CID: 24278298); (−)-Epicatechin; (−)-Epicatechin (PubChem CID: 24894431); ANOVA, analysis of variance; CT, control diet; Development; EC1, control diet supplemented with 1% mix of (−)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin; EC2, control diet supplemented with 1% mix of (−)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin; EGCG, epigallo-catechin-gallate; Flavonoids (or flavanols or flavonols); GD, gestation day; GTC-H, heat sterilized green tea catechins; GTE, green tea extract; PND, postnatal day; Pregnancy; RU1, control diet supplemented with 1% rutin; RU2, control diet supplemented with 2% rutin; Rutin; Rutin-hydrate (PubChem CID: 24899379); SEM, standard error of the means; TBHQ, tertiary butylhydroquinone.