Abstract
Influence of wheat gluten diets for pregnant rats on the maternal body and the growth of the newborn pups and supplementary effects of lysine to the wheat gluten diets were studied. Pregnant rats were fed on the wheat gluten diets at protein level of 5% (G5), 10% (G10), 20% (G20) and 30% (G30), and also the diets added with L-lysine at level of 0.4% (G5+L), 0.5% (G10+L), 0.8% (G20+L) and 1.0% (G30+L), respectively. Control was set at 10% protein diet of purified whole egg protein.
Although all groups of pregnant rats fed on the wheat gluten diets performed pregnancy and delivery, some in the groups of G5, G5+L and G10 showed neonatal death and stunted growth. Significant supplementary effects of lysine were observed in the groups fed on 10% or 20% wheat protein diets with lysine. Newborn pups of groups fed on 20% or 30% wheat protein diets with lysine, and also on 30% sole wheat protein diet showed almost same growth compared to the rats of the control group.
