Analysis of reference interval and age-related changes in serum biochemistry and hematology in the specific pathogen free miniature pig

Abstract

We analyzed 72 items related to serum biochemistry and hematology in 85 specific pathogen-free (SPF) Seoul National University (SNU) miniature pigs aged 1- to 36-months which originated from a Minnesota miniature pig. Almost all examined items were similar between male and female pigs. However, some items such as Cr level, B/C ratio, C.R.F, LDH, LAP and T4 were significantly different between male and female pigs (P<0.05). Thirty four examined items showed age-related changes, and the significant changes were observed in animals less than six months old. The values for BUN, K, uric acid, Ca, Ca++, and Pi were significantly higher in pigs younger than six months of age, which might reflect poor kidney function in young pigs. Additionally, TIBC, UIBC and RDW were significantly higher in young pigs, and RBC, Hb, HCT, MCHC and MCV were significantly lower in young pigs, thus indicating a similar physiology of iron deficiency anemia. These age-related specific phenotypes seemed to be normal, but it should be considered in the long-term experiment using the young pigs. In conclusion, in this study, we defined the normal reference intervals for SPF SNU miniature pigs, and we also determined that there are some physiological differences between the pig genders and ages. This study provides fundamental data for use in experiments involving SPF SNU miniature pigs.

Comparative evaluation of growth performance, serum biochemical profile and immunological response of the Nigerian indigenous and large white x landrace crossbred pigs

“…Comparing our result with the reference values, albumin levels were within normal range before the immunization and on weeks 1, 2 and 4 following immunization for both groups. This is at variance with other studies done with pigs of different ages and sexes (Yeom, 2012). We therefore opine that the variations in these findings could be age, gender-related or both.…”

Application of the Tissue Composition–Based Model to Minipig for Predicting the Volume of Distribution at Steady State and Dermis-to-Plasma Partition Coefficients of Drugs Used in the Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetics Model in Dermatology

“…For plasma, the estimation of fnl and fnp were not included in the current lipid analysis, but they were obtained from the literature for minipigs aged 18 months, 27 whereas the content of AP was set equal to the average of rat and human values. For the red blood cells, we also challenged first the average of rat and human values for fnl, fnp, and AP assuming that they are not significantly speciesdependent as seen between the rat and human 8,13,14 (Table 2).…”

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“…[40] This life cycle permits enough time to develop, characterize, and modulate cancer in a pig model. [41] For years, swine have served as a valuable resource for procedural training in surgery and interventional radiology. The size and anatomy of the pig liver, which is similar to that of humans, allows for utilization of instruments and devices employed in the care of patients, enabling easier application and translation to human clinical trials.…”