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  • Title: Cellular development of liver and skeletal muscles and body composition of pigs from gestationally starved sows.
    Author: Ezekwe MO.
    Journal: Growth; 1982; 46(3):199-208. PubMed ID: 6184267.
    Abstract:
    Liver and skeletal muscle development and changes in body composition were studied in pigs from cross-bred sows subjected to starvation (allowed water and trace mineral salt) during the third trimester of gestation. Two groups of sows were taken off feed on days 93 (21-day) and 107 (7-day) of gestation respectively; a third group fed 1.82 kg of diet per day served as control. The pigs sacrificed at birth, were used to determine liver and skeletal muscle DNA, RNA and protein and body composition. There were no significant differences (P greater than .05) in body weight between the treated groups and the control. Liver weight was depressed in the progeny of 21-day and 7-day starvation groups (P less than .05). Liver cellular DNA was decreased (P less than .05) in the treated animals, RNA and protein content remained unchanged. The skeletal muscles studied responded differently to the treatment imposed; semitendinosus muscle weight, muscle DNA and RNA did not differ among treatments; whereas, gastrocnemius muscle weight, muscle DNA and RNA were significantly lower in the progeny of treated sows (P less than .05, P less than .01 and P less than .05 respectively). Muscle and liver protein content, RNA/DNA, and protein/DNA ratios were not affected by treatments. Body composition analysis showed no differences in per cent dry matter, lipid, ash and protein content. The results suggest that liver and gastrocnemius muscles were adversely affected by prenatal nutritional deficiency imposed while semitendinosus muscles remained unchanged. The differential response of skeletal muscles to prenatal nutritional deficiency indicated a need to study more than a single muscle in similar experiments designed to investigate muscle response. The lack of differences in body composition analysis showed that improved survival of newborn pigs previously reported can be achieved without changes in fetal chemical body composition.
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