title: Influence of porcine somatotropin on the phosphorus requirement of finishing pigs: I. Performance and bone characteristics.
abstract: We conducted two experiments to evaluate the effects of recombinant porcine somatotropin (pST) on the P requirement of finishing pigs. Corn-soybean meal diets with varying levels of P were fed, and Ca was adjusted to maintain a Ca:P ratio of 1.1:1. In Exp. 1, 96 pigs were fed dietary P concentrations of .35, .45, and .65% from 75 to 109 kg BW. One-half of the pigs were injected daily with 4 mg of pST. Pigs treated with pST consumed less feed and gained more efficiently than untreated pigs (P < .01). Increasing the dietary P level produced linear (P < .05) improvements in most metacarpal-metatarsal (MM) and femur traits. Administration of pST increased (P < .02) bone weight, but it reduced (P < .03) bone strength and the percentage of ash. The increases in percentage of ash and ash accretion associated with increasing dietary P were more pronounced in pST-treated pigs than in untreated pigs (pST x P, P < .01). Experiment 2 consisted of 66 pigs fed six dietary P concentrations (.35, .50, .65, .80, .95, and 1.10%) from 72 to 114 kg. One-half of the pigs were injected daily with 4 mg of pST. Pigs treated with pST gained faster and more efficiently (P < .01) but consumed less feed than untreated pigs (P < .01). Increasing the dietary P level improved most of the bone traits. Administration of pST reduced (P < .01) MM strength and percentage ash in the MM and femurs, but it increased (P < .01) femur diameter and wall thickness. Bone strength and percentage ash were reduced in pST-treated pigs fed low dietary P; however, at higher dietary P, these traits were similar to or greater than those in untreated pigs (pST x P, P < .10). Generally, bone traits in pST-treated pigs reached a plateau at higher dietary P concentrations and at higher P intakes compared with those in untreated pigs. These results indicate that pST administration increases the dietary P level that is required to maximize bone traits in finishing pigs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40546, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Cromwell
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001846:Bone Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D005269:Femur; D005527:Food, Fortified; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008239:Lysine; D008663:Metacarpus; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010758:Phosphorus; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D010758:Phosphorus; D013006:Growth Hormone; D008239:Lysine