IGF-II and IGF-binding proteins increase dramatically during rabbit pregnancy

During pregnancy, changes in the IGF axis are associated with changes in maternal metabolism and nutrient re-partitioning which are necessary to meet the demands of a growing conceptus. The aim of this study was to assess the IGF axis, maternal weight changes and food intake in female New Zealand White rabbits (n=7) prior to breed-ing (day 0) and serially throughout pregnancy until term(day 30-31). The total weight of the pregnant does progressively increased from 4\m=.\03\m=+-\0\m=.\06kg(mean \m=+-\s.e.m.) on day 0 to 4\m=.\47\m=+-\0\m=.\07kg on day 30 (P<0\m=.\001).Maternal tissue mass (total weight minus estimated conceptus weight) increased until day 18, plateaued to day 22/23, and then significantly declined. On day 30, the maternal tissue mass was not significantly different from th