FERTILITY IN RATS AFTER LONG-TERM JOJOBA MEAL SUPPLEMENTATION

During 11 weeks, weanling rats received either normal food or food supplemented with 3% deoiled jojoba meal or were pair-fed to the jojoba meal treated group. Afterward, control females (CF) were mated either with control males (CM), males taking jojoba-supplemented food (JJM), or males pair-fed to JJM (PFM). Jojoba-treated females (JJF) and females pair-fed to JJF (PFF) were mated with CM. The food regimen was continued during gestation. At day 15 of gestation, several fertility parameters were measured. In JJF and PFF a decrease in the number of corpora lutea and of living fetuses was observed, provoked by a reduced food intake before conception. An excess in fetal body weight reduction in JJF was explained by protein shortage during gestation and is paralleled by decreased maternal plasma progestagens and increased thyroid hormone (T3) concentrations. In males, no effect on these fertility parameters has been observed.