title: Relationships of weight gain and behavior to digestive organ weight and enzyme activities in piglets.
abstract: Organ weights and digestive enzyme contents of the pancreas, stomach and duodenum were measured in 75 nursing piglets at 21 d of age. Piglets were given creep feed from 10 d of age. Creep feed intake was less than 1.5 g.d-1.piglet-1 up to d 18; on d 19 and 20 it averaged 15 g.d-1.piglet-1. On d 10, piglets went to the feeder more frequently than on the following days. Feeding bouts were longer on d 16, 17 and 18 just prior to the increase in creep feed consumption. Means and SE for the parameters studied at 21 d of age were 7.01 +/- .18 mg for pancreas weight; 61,499 +/- 4,091 units of amylase (UA) and 1,510 +/- 110 UA/mg DNA; 2,962 +/- 189 units of chymotrypsin (UC) and 68.94 +/- 3.92 UC/mg DNA; 8.76 +/- .35 g for fundic mucosa weight; 558,875 +/- 49,287 units of pepsin (UP) and 12,338 +/- 1,175 UP/mg DNA; 1.75 +/- .06 g for duodenum weight; 1.39 +/- .07 units of maltase (UM) and .14 +/- .006 UM/mg DNA. Day-0 weight was not correlated with 21-d gain. Feeding behaviors were correlated positively with 21-d gains. Feeding behaviors and behaviors were correlated positively to pancreas total and specific enzyme contents as well as to stomach and duodenum weights, RNA/DNA ratios of the pancreas and the stomach and protein/DNA of the pancreas but were correlated negatively with specific and total pepsin and maltase activities. Variation was large in enzyme activities (cv = 35 to 82%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors: Lennoxville Res. Sta., Agriculture Canada, Quebec, Canada.
authors: A M
authors: AM
authors: de Passillé
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Pelletier
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Ménard
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Morisset
mesh_terms: D000681:Amylases / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000032:analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004064:Digestive System / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000254:growth & development; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010179:Pancreas / Q000254:growth & development; D010434:Pepsin A / Q000032:analysis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D013270:Stomach / Q000254:growth & development; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D000681:Amylases; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases; D002918:Chymotrypsin; D010434:Pepsin A