Effect of bovine colostrum on the serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), the IGF binding proteins-2 and -3 and the thyroid hormones in weaning piglets

Abstract

This study examined the effect of a bovine colostrum supplementation on growth performance, feed intake and the hormonal response of piglets at weaning. Ninety-six newly-weaned piglets were assigned for four weeks to one of the two treatments: Control (diet with bovine milk whey) and Colostrum (diet with bovine colostrum whey) treatments. The supplements were incorporated in a commercial diet at 20 g/kg during the first 2 weeks after weaning and lowered to 10 g/kg for the next 2 weeks. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly. Blood samples were taken weekly for determination of circulating IGF-I, its binding proteins and the thyroid hormones (T 3 and T 4 ). During the first week of the trial, the Colostrum-fed piglets presented improved growth performance, feed intake and feed efficiency and a higher concentration in circulating IGF-I (+15 %) compared to the Control piglets. In both treatments, the circulating thyroid hormones were reduced by weaning and the levels measured at weaning were recovered earlier by the Colostrum-fed piglets compared to the Control group (P<0.05). It is concluded that hormonal response observed after the bovine colostrum supplementation is, at least in part, consequent of the positive action of bovine colostrum on the feed intake.

Effects of bovine colostrum on performance, survival, and immunoglobulin status of suckling piglets during the first days of life

“…Likewise, alpha-1 globulin consists of APPs (Kushner 1982) and its negative correlation with piglets' BW, together with the lower plasma beta-globulin concentration in piglets receiving BC, might support our assumption that BC supplementation might affect gut permeability leading to an accelerated gut closure, thereby reducing the risk of pathogen invasion. BC supplementation has been reported to improve sanitary status in post-weaning (Huguet et al 2006(Huguet et al , 2011Boudry et al 2008aBoudry et al , 2010 and preterm (Moller et al 2011) piglets. Here, we did not find an effect on the prevalence of diarrhea occurring in both treatment groups which may probably be associated with the relatively low BC dosage and doi: 10.17221/8404-CJAS frequency.…”

Colostrum as a Therapeutic: A Meta Review

“…Post-weaning induced decreased feed ingestion which reduced T3 and T4 levels, however these levels recovered to their corresponding pre-weaning levels much faster in the experimental group, possibly due to enhanced feed intake and efficiency [37].…”

Gender-specific effects on food intake but no inhibition of age-related fat accretion in transgenic mice overexpressing human IGFBP-2 lacking the Cardin-Weintraub sequence motif

“…We found that food intake was sexually dimorphic in transgenic mice, revealing rather higher food intake in females at the age of 11 weeks but rather decreased food intake in male mice at the age of 11 and 19 weeks. Food intake and growth performance are functionally related e.g., in pigs (Boudry et al 2010) and the reason for the disruption of that relationship in female H1d‐BP2‐mice is unclear. Concerning gender effects it is intriguing that estrogen signaling has been identified as a novel target of IGFBP‐2 (Foulstone et al 2013).…”