E. Beltranena et al., RECOMBINANT PORCINE SOMATOTROPIN EFFECTS ON SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT AND METABOLIC STATUS OF GILTS, Canadian journal of animal science, 74(2), 1994, pp. 265-271
Prepubertal Yorkshire gilts (61.7 +/- SD 3.7 kg) served as untreated c
ontrols (n = 8), were injected daily (at 15:00) for 28 d with 2 mg of
porcine somatotropin (pST; n = 8), or were implanted with a prolonged-
release (2 mg d-1 for 28 d) pST implant (n = 7). Gilts had ad libitum
access to feed except during an overnight fast before blood sampling (
06:00 to 22:00 h) on day 23 or 24. Feeding on day 23 or 24 resumed at
09:00 h and injected gilts received pST at 15:05 h. Gilts were slaught
ered on day 28. Endogenous episodic ST secretion in both injected and
implanted gilts was suppressed, but basal plasma ST in implanted gilts
was elevated. Plasma insulin was elevated in response to pST injectio
n and in implanted gilts postprandially, compared with controls. Plasm
a insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) was elevated in both injected a
nd implanted gilts preprandially and postinjection. Plasma nonesterifi
ed fatty acids and creatinine were similar among groups. Urea nitrogen
declined after feeding, and this decline was greater in injected than
in implanted or control gilts. Basal episodic luteinizing-hormone (LH
) secretion, reproductive-tract weight, follicular volume, and plasma
and follicular-fluid fluid estradiol-17beta were similar among groups.
However, follicular-fluid IGF-I concentrations were greater in inject
ed and implanted, than control gilts. We conclude that pST administrat
ion (2 mg d-1) for 28 d significantly affected the ST-insulin-IGF-1 ax
is, but it did not affect LH secretion or reproductive-tract developme
nt. The pST-induced increase in follicular-fluid IGF-I may be of physi
ological significance to continued follicular development.