Endocrine Abstracts

Abnormal foetal growth is associated with an increased predisposition to impaired glucose metabolism (Hales and Barker. Diabetologia 1992; 35: 595-601). The aim of the study was to examine whether size at birth influenced glucose tolerance in pigs at 5 months of age.The litters from 4 multiparous sows were weighed at birth. A low (L: <10th percentile) and normal (N: 40th-60th percentile) piglet was selected from each l...

Increasing energy intakes of sows may decrease the severity of changes in body condition occurring throughout the reproductive cycle and lead to improved efficiency of energy utilisation. The study aimed to examine the effects of feeding extra energy during late pregnancy on body fat deposition, reproductive performance and plasma insulin concentration.Twenty-four multiparous sows were randomly allocated to one of three dietary treatments. From day 85 of...

In humans, pregnancy is considered a diabetogenic event1. A similar situation occurs in sows1. The amount of fat in the sows' diet is inversely correlated to glucose clearance time, thus modifying glucose tolerance2. The aim was to investigate the influence of altered maternal diet during gestation (term = 115days) on the glucose tolerance of the sow. Thirty-four pregnant sows were randomly allocated to 4 isocaloric diets for either the first (G1) or second (G2) 60 days of ges...

In humans, pregnancy is considered a diabetogenic event1. A similar situation occurs in sows1. The amount of fat in the sows' diet is inversely correlated to glucose clearance time, thus modifying glucose tolerance2. The aim was to investigate the influence of altered maternal diet during gestation (term = 115days) on the glucose tolerance of the sow. Thirty-four pregnant sows were randomly allocated to 4 isocaloric diets for either the first (G1) or second (G2) 60 days of ges...

Perinatal nutrition has marked effects on both the health and development of the newborn animal, especially in the case of the intra-uterine growth restricted (IUGR) foetus. IGF-1 and leptin play important roles in the regulation of growth and energy metabolism. The study aimed to examine whether prenatal nutrition influences the growth performance and endocrine profile of IUGR pigs. From day 85 of gestation, pregnant sows were allocated to the standard diet (S: n=4) or the S ...

Neonatal mortality is greater in the leaner commercial porcine genotypes compared to the Meishan breed. Leptin is a 16 kDa protein involved in energy regulation, a number of studies have demonstrated leptin’s presence in maternal milk. Meishan sows have a significantly higher body fat content than commercial pigs, but it is unknown whether they produce more leptin in milk. The extent to which this dietary supply provides the neonate with leptin and any effects on growth a...

Low birth weight infants have higher mortality rates and are at a greater risk of impaired immunity in later life than are their normal-birth-weight counterparts. The aim was to investigate the effect of maternal dietary fat supplementation during the first or second half of gestation on the plasma immunoglobulin A concentration in her offspring.Six pregnant sows were randomly allocated to receive 10% extra energy derived from dietary fat during either t...

There are many theories regarding the function of UCP3, including transportation of fatty acids out of the mitochondria and production of reactive oxygen species. The function of UCP3 may influence the development of obesity and diabetes mellitus. In rodents UCP3 mRNA levels increase after T(sub)3(/sub) treatment. The ancient Meishan breed has enhanced neonatal survival rates than lean commercial breeds (C). Previous studies have demonstrated that plasma T(sub)3(/sub) is lower...

It is well established that the reduced neonatal mortality in Meishan, compared to commercial piglets, is due to resistance to hypothermia and hypoglycaemia. Underlying factors responsible for the differences in survival may include the disparity in plasma tri-iodothyronine (T3) concentrations and UCP expression (Mostyn et al (2004) Journal of Endocrinology, in press). ZD7114 (ZD), a synthetic beta3-adrenoceptor agonist, has been shown to improve thermogenesis in la...

Studies on the lipid emulsion for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for the premature human infant are limited. We investigated the effects of modifying the fatty acid composition of TPN on the growth and development of the preterm piglet.Piglets delivered by Caesarean section on day 112 of gestation (term = 115 days) received an enteral diet (E: n=6) or TPN solution plus Intralipid (54% 18:2, 25% 18:1; I: n=6) or ClinOleic (17% 18:2, 65% 18:1; C: n=6) fo...