It has been also reported that dietary NT supplementation had the potency to reduce DNA damage induced by oxidative stress in chicken and piglets.16,17 The alteration of mtDNA content is under the control of mitochondrial biogenesis, which needs the interaction of multiple transcriptional factors.59 PGC-1α and NRF-1 are major transcriptional coactivators of nuclear receptors to modulate mitochondrial biogenesis.60 Consistent with previous study,52 mRNA level of hepatic PGC-1α were down-regulated by IUGR in the present study. This evidence concerns the gene NRF1 and fetal growth restriction.