Abstract: Objective： To study the effect of quercetin given during pregnancy and lactation period of obese rats on weight and expression of insulin-like growth factors-1 (IGF-1) mRNA of the offspring.Methods: In the study, 8 healthy weaning female SD rats were randomly selected to feed the basal diet and as blank control group, and the others were fed with high-fat diet. When the average weight of the high-fat diet rats was 20% as many as the average weight of the control group, we believed the model succeeded. Then the female SD rats were mated and the pregnant rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, 8 rats in each. They were fed with high fat diet during pregnancy and lactation, and the obese pregnant rats were respectively irrigated with 0 mg/kg body weight (high-fat control), 50 mg/kg body weight,100 mg/kg body weight, and 200 mg/kg body weight quercetin. The blank control group was fed with basic diet throughout the experimental period. The birth weight, the weights during the development of d7, d21, d56, and d98, and the expressions of IGF-1 mRNA in livers tissue of the F1 generation were measured.Results: The average birth weight of the F1 generation of high fat diet (HFD) group was significantly higher than that of the blank control group. Decreased offspring birth weight was observed with the intervention of quercetin, which effect remained to the delectation. The quercetin also reduced the expression of IGF-1 mRNA in livers of the F1 generation, and this effect remained to the adulthood. The 200 mg/kg body weight quercetin was most significantly effective.Conclusion: The averaged birth weight of the F1 generation of obese pregnant rats was significantly increased, and quercetin could effectively inhibit the expression of IGF-1 mRNA in livers of F1 generation to decrease cell proliferation and cell differentiation.

Key words: Quercetin, Body weight, Insulin-like growth factor-1, Obesity, Rats