Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-jwnkl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-08T20:11:42.405Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Liver weight and its N and vitamin A contents in piglets from sows fed two levels of protein and food

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

D. L. Frape ,
K. L. Wolf ,
J. Wilkinson  and
L. G. Chubb
D. L. Frape
Affiliation:
Spillers Limited, Animal Nutrition Research Laboratory, Middle Aston House, Steeple Aston, Oxford
K. L. Wolf
Affiliation:
Spillers Limited, Animal Nutrition Research Laboratory, Middle Aston House, Steeple Aston, Oxford
J. Wilkinson
Affiliation:
Spillers Limited, Animal Nutrition Research Laboratory, Middle Aston House, Steeple Aston, Oxford
L. G. Chubb
Affiliation:
Spillers Limited, Animal Nutrition Research Laboratory, Middle Aston House, Steeple Aston, Oxford
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Gestating female pigs received either a low or a high intake per day of diets containing either a low or high protein concentration. A change in the composition of both diets occurred after 2 years, when the protein quality of the high protein diet was improved and the energy content of both diets was increased. Vitamin A determinations were carried out on 245 piglet livers and 32 pairs of kidneys and lungs at birth from 47 sows. The livers, kidneys and lungs of 16 sows were also analysed for vitamin A after approximately 4 years on experiment. Vitamin A was detected at birth with antimony trichloride in the liver of the piglet, but not in the kidney or lung. The sow's kidney was found to contain only small amounts and lung tissue only traces.

A dietary vitamin A level of 4800 i.u./kg during the breeding life of healthy sows, or 8600 i.u./day during gestation, was adequate from the point of view of both a constant storage in piglet livers at birth over eight to ten parities and a relatively high concentration remaining in sow livers after that period. This conclusion is in line with recommendations of the Agricultural Research Council (1966).

As a consequence of differences in both the condition of the sows and in their responses in the two periods, the results for each period are presented separately. In the first 2-year period, when the sows received a relatively low intake of dietary protein during gestation (between 248 and 317 g protein/sow/day), and a low energy intake; that is, when protein was used for energy production, the liver vitamin A storage of the piglet at birth was increased by raising either the daily protein intake during gestation to 352 g, or the food intake from 1·8 to 2·3 kg/sow/day. Liver vitamin A and N concentrations were negatively correlated with liver weight, but increasing dietary protein concentration raised liver weight and its vitamin A content. Liver vitamin A per piglet was not affected by litter size.

A conclusion may not be drawn concerning the contribution of dietary energy to the differences in response between periods, because in addition to dietary changes other differences occurred between periods. Nevertheless, in the second 2-year period, when energy intake during gestation was adequate for normal growth and development, a difference of 150 g in protein intake/sow/day (363 g against 208 g) had no effect on liver weight or its vitamin A content. Furthermore, there was no significant treatment effect on total protein or albumin concentrations in the serum of the sow.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 73 , Issue 1 , August 1969 , pp. 33 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Agricultural Research Council (1966). Nutrient requirements of farm livestock, no. 3.Google Scholar
Campbell, Rosa M. & Kosterlitz, H. W. (1948). The assay of the nutritive value of a protein by its effect on liver cytoplasm. J. Physiol. 107, 383–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chow, B. F., Alper, C. & De Biase, S. (1948). The effects of oral administration of different proteins on the plasma proteins of protein-depleted dogs. J. Nutr. 36, 785–801.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dann, W. J. (1934). The transmission of vitamin A from parent to young in mammals. Part III. Biochem. J. 28, 634–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, A. W. & Moore, T. (1934). Vitamin A and carotene. Biochem. J. 28, 288–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duncan, D. L. & Lodge, G. A. (1960). Diet in relation to reproduction and the viability of the young. Part III. Pigs. Commonwealth Bureau of Animal Nutrition. Technical Communication no. 21.Google Scholar
Frape, D. L., Speer, V. C., Hays, V. W. & Catron, D. V. (1959). The Vitamin A requirement of the young pig. J. Nutr. 68, 173–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Friend, C. J., Heard, C. R. C., Platt, B. S., Stewart, R. J. C. & Turner, M. R. (1961). The effect of dietary protein deficiency on transport of vitamin A in tho blood and its storage in the liver. Br. J. Nutr. 15, 231–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ganguly, J., Krinsky, N. I., Mehl, J. W. & Deuel, Jun. H. J. (1952). Studies of the distribution of vitamin A as ester and alcohol and of carotenoids in plasma proteins of several species. Archs. Biochem. Biophys. 38, 275–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenberg, D. M. (1929). The colorimetric determination of the serum proteins. J. biol. Chem. 82, 545–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heaney, D. P., Hoefer, J. A., Ullrey, D. E. & Miller, E. R. (1963). Effects of marginal vitamin A intake during gestation in swine. J. Anim. Sci. 22, 925–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heard, C. R. C., Platt, B. S. & Stewart, R. J. C. (1958). The effect on pigs of a low protein diet with and without additional carbohydrates. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 17, xli–xlii.Google Scholar
Heywood, R. (1967). Vitamin A in the liver and kidneys of some Felidae. Br. vet. J. 123, 390–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kshirsagar, S. G. & Patwardhan, V. N. (1959). The superimposition of calorie restriction on protein deficiency—Effects on liver, small intestine and pancreas of young Albino rats. Indian J. med. Res. 47, 64–72.Google ScholarPubMed
Marsh, J. B. & Drabkin, D. L. (1958). Metabolic channeling in experimental nephrosis. Part III. J. biol. Chem. 230, 1063–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moore, T., Sharman, I. M. & Ward, R. J. (1951). The Effect of sex hormones on the distribution of vitamin A in castrated male rats. Biochem. J. 49, proc. xiii.Google ScholarPubMed
Moore, T., Sharman, I. M. & Ward, R. J. (1952). Vitamin A and the resistance of rats to protein deficiency. Biochem. J. 52, xii.Google ScholarPubMed
Munro, H. N. & Naismith, D. J. (1953). The influence of energy intake on protein metabolism. Biochem. J. 54, 191–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nir, I. & Ascarelli, I. (1966). Effect of dietary protein level and thyroxine on vitamin A depletion from liver in chicks. Br. J. Nutr. 20, 41–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nir, I., Bruckental, I., Ascarelli, I. & Bondi, A. (1967). Effect of dietary protein level on in vivo and in vitro vitamin A esterase activity in the chick. Br. J. Nutr. 21, 565–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parrish, D. B., Aubel, C. E., Hughes, J. S. & Wheat, J. D. (1951). Relative value of vitamin A and carotene for supplying the vitamin A requirements of swine during gestation and beginning lactation. J. Anim. Sci. 10, 551–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quarterman, J. & Saraiva, , Gabriela, C. (1965). Vitamin A utilisation and protein level and quality. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 24, xx–xxl.Google Scholar
Selke, M. R., Barnhart, C. E. & Chaney, C. H. (1967). Vitamin A requirement of the gestating and lactating sow. J. Anim. Sci. 26, 759–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomas, J. W., Loosli, J. K. & William, J. P. (1947). Placental and mammary transfer of vitamin A in swine and goats as affected by the prepartum diet. J. Anim. Sci. 6, 141–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vakil, Urmila K., Roels, O. A. & Trout, M. (1964). Storage and transport of vitamin A in relation to protein intake. Br. J. Nutr. 18, 217–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weimer, H. E., Bell, R. T. & Nishihara, H. (1959). Dietary protein and serum electrophoretic patterns of the adult rat. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. Med. 100, 853–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weimer, H. E., Godfrey, J. F., Meyers, , Roberta, L., & Miller, J. N. (1963). Effect of food restriction and realimentation on serum proteins: Complement levels and electrophoretic patterns. J. Nutr. 81, 405–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed