Effects of maternal vitamin B-12 deficiency from end of gestation to weaning on the growth and haematological and immunological parameters in mouse dams and offspring

Vitamin B-12-deficiency may induce specific symptoms as neurological alterations and unspecific symptoms such as anaemia and growth retardation. In this study, maternal vitamin B-12 deficiency from end of gestation to weaning was evaluated in mouse dams, which was provoked by feeding a vitamin B-12-deficient diet. The animals were divided into two groups (control and deficient). The control group received the vitamin B-12-deficient diet supplemented with commercial vitamin B-12. Compared to the control, the vitamin B-12-deficient dams and their offspring showed a significant decrease of body weight (by 20 and 39%, respectively), serum vitamin B-12 concentration (by 61 and 67%, respectively), haematological values as haematocrit (25 and 26%, respectively), and IgA producer cells (by 36 and 54%, respectively). In both, vitamin B-12-deficient mouse dams and their offspring, histological alterations of small intestine were observed, whereas growth retardation occurred in the offspring only. This experimental murine model allows assessing the incidence of maternal cobalamin deficiency in offspring and would be useful for evaluating novel adjuncts such as functional foods to prevent vitamin B-12 deficiency.