EFFECTS OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS AND LIMITED NURSING ON THE DIGESTIVE ENZYME ONTOGENY AND GROWTH OF NURSING PIGLETS (MALTASE, SUCRASE, LACTASE, AMYLASE, ACTH).
Contributors: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 131
Subjects: Agriculture, Animal Culture and Nutrition.
Description: Ten experiments were conducted to evaluate the inductive capacity of exogenous hydrocortisone (HYD) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) on the developing carbohydrate digestive enzymes and growth rate of nursing piglets. The response of these enzymes to increased creep feed consumption, produced by partial weaning, was also investigated. A total of 87 litters of piglets were used.

Pancreatic amylase, expressed per unit of body weight (BW) was elevated two- to three-fold (P < .05) by the injection of 25 mg HYD/kg BW every other day between 14 and 26 days post-partum. This response was linearly (P < .05) related to HYD dosages between 0 and 24 mg/kg BW when administered every other day and to the frequency of 24 mg/kg BW injections (0, 2, 4 and 6). The effect of a single, 25 mg/kg BW injection on amylase enhancement was manifested within 2 days in 6-day-old piglets. The increased amylase activity was at least partially due to a hypertrophic effect of HYD on the pancreas.

Although intestinal weight also increased with respect to total BW following HYD injections, the disaccharidases, maltase, sucrase and lactase were relatively unresponsive in 14 to 26-day-old piglets. However, the normal decline of lactase activity was delayed by the single injection of HYD to 6-day-old piglets. Apparently, the injection of 15 IU ACTH/kg BW every fourth day in the older piglets was insufficient to effect change in any of the carbohydrases measured, but a single injection (15 IU) to 6-day-old piglets resulted in prolonged lactase activity similar to that observed from HYD injection.

Piglets injected with the highest doses of HYD grew slower (P < .05) both pre- and post-weaning. Limited nursing depressed gain during lactation but improved post-weaning growth rates for the first two weeks (P < .05). However, in a subsequent study, two HYD injections (25 mg/kg BW) 2 and 4 days prior to weaning improved feed consumption and weight gain of pigs weaned on day-14, had no effect on pigs weaned on day-21 and depressed performance of 28-day-old weaned pigs. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: B, page: 0007.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, 1985.

School code: 0090.