Abstract
The goal of this project was to determine if increasing insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations in late pregnancy can stimulate mammogenesis in gilts. Yorkshire x Landrace gilts (196.2 ± 6.2 kg BW on day 89 of gestation) were separated in two groups: 1) controls (CTL, n = 17) injected with sterile water, and 2) porcine somatotropin-treated (pST, n = 20) injected daily with 5 mg of pST (Reporcin®) from days 90 to 109 of gestation. Gilts were slaughtered on day 110 to collect mammary glands and blood samples were obtained on days 89, 96, 103 and 109 of gestation. Treated gilts gained more BW (P < 0.05) and lost more backfat (P < 0.05) than CTL gilts during treatment. There was a treatment x day effect (P < 0.01) on IGF-1, glucose and urea concentrations in blood. Concentrations of IGF-1 increased fourfold (P < 0.01) in pST compared with CTL gilts on days 96, 103 and 109 of gestation. Insulin values were also greater on days 96 (P < 0.01) and 103 (P = 0.01), and tended to be greater (P < 0.10) on day 109 of gestation in pST gilts. Glucose was greater in pST than CTL gilts on days 96 (P < 0.01), 103 (P < 0.01) and 109 (P = 0.01). Injections of pST did not affect weight of mammary extraparenchyma (P > 0.10) but increased mammary parenchymal mass (1922.2 vs 1576.1 ± 123.9 g, P < 0.05). Mammary parenchyma contained more (P < 0.05) protein, DNA and RNA and less fat (P < 0.05) and dry matter (P < 0.01) in pST than CTL gilts. These findings demonstrate that increasing circulating IGF-1 in late-pregnant gilts can stimulate mammary development both in terms of total parenchymal mass and of parenchymal tissue composition.
Exogenous porcine somatotropin stimulates mammary development in late-pregnant gilts
