Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T07:05:02.040Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The effects of dose and method of administration of biosynthetic bovine somatotropin on live-weight gain, carcass composition and wool growth in young lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

I. D. Johnsson
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Animal Production, Church Lane, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AQ
D. J. Hathorn
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Animal Production, Church Lane, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9AQ
R. M. Wilde
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Animal Production, Hurley, Maidenhead SL6 5LR
T. T. Treacher
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Grassland and Animal Production, Hurley, Maidenhead SL6 5LR
B. W. Butler-Hogg
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Carcass and Abattoir Division, Langford, Bristol, BS18 7DY
Get access

Abstract

Exogenous bovine pituitary somatotropin (GH) can influence markedly body composition in fattening lambs. However, neither the effects of biosynthetic somatotropin nor the effects of dose and method of administration have been reported. Fifty Dorset-cross lambs (female and castrated male) were given concentrate ad libitum and treated between 10 and 22 weeks of age with biosynthetic bovine somatotropin either dissolved in buffer and injected subcutaneously (s.c.) in proportion to body weight (0·025, 0·1 or 0·25 mg/kg per day), dissolved in buffer and continuously infused s.c. (0·1 mg/kg per day) or suspended in olive oil and injected s.c. (0·1 mg/kg per day), and compared with 10 untreated control lambs. Somatotropin had little effect on live-weight gain (controls = 228 g/day; final live weight 37 kg), food intake and food conversion efficiency, and only marginally increased the weight of muscle and bone dissected from the shoulder joint. The weights of the major fat depots in the abdominal cavity and of fat dissected from the shoulder joint were linearly related to dose of somatotropin (P < 0·001). Lambs given the highest dose had less visceral fat (1·18 v. 2·84 kg; P < 0·001) and proportionately less fat (285 v. 374 g/kg; P < 0·001) and more muscle (542 v. 447 g/kg) and bone (172 v. 149 g/kg; P < 0·001) in the shoulder joint than control lambs. There was a positive curvilinear relationship (P < 0·01) between clean wool growth (mid-side patch sample) and dose; lambs injected daily with 0·1 mg somatotropin per kg grew one-third more wool than control lambs. Method of administration affected plasma somatotropin profiles but had no significant influence on any of the responses measured. The anabolic actions of somatotropin may have been limited in this experiment by a low sodium concentration in the diet. It is concluded that the lipolytic/anti-lipogenic effect of somatotropin can occur in the absence of conditions conducive to the stimulation of muscle protein deposition and that the response is dose dependent but not influenced by method of administration of the hormone.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Butler-Hogg, B. W. and Johnsson, I. D. 1986. Fat partitioning and tissue distribution in crossbred ewes following different growth paths. Animal Production 42: 6572.Google Scholar
Davis, S. L., Garrigus, U. S. and Hinds, F. C. 1970. Metabolic effects of growth hormone and diethylstilbestrol in lambs. II. Effects of daily ovine growth hormone injections on plasma metabolites and nitrogen-retention in fed lambs. Journal of Animal Science 30: 236240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fadlalla, A. M., Spencer, G. S. G. and Lister, D. 1985. The effect of passive immunization against somatostatin on marker retention time in lambs. Journal of Animal Science 61: 234239.Google Scholar
Fronk, T. J., Peel, C. J., Bauman, D. E. and Gorewit, R. C. 1983. Comparison of different patterns of exogenous growth hormone administration on milk production in Holstein cows. Journal of Animal Science 57: 699705.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, I. C., Chadwick, P. M. E., Boone, T. C., Langley, K. E., Rudman, C. and Souza, L. M. 1984. A comparison of the growth-promoting, lipolytic diabetogenic and immunological properties of pituitary and recombinant-DNA-derived bovine growth hormone (somatotropin). Biochemical Journal 224: 93100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, I. C., Flux, D. S., Andrews, P. and McNeilly, A. S. 1975. Radio-immunoassay for ovine and caprine growth hormone: its application to the measurement of basal circulating levels of growth hormone in the goat. Hormone and Metabolic Research 7: 3540.Google Scholar
Hart, I. C. and Johnsson, I. D. 1986. Growth hormone and growth in meat-producing animals. In Control and Manipulation of Animal Growth (ed. Buttery, P. J., Haynes, N. B. and Lindsay, D. B.). Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Jansson, J. D., Albertsson-Wikland, K., Eden, S., Thorgren, K. G. and Isaksson, O. 1982. Circumstantial evidence for a role of the secretory pattern of growth hormone in control of body growth. Ada Endocrinologica 99: 2430.Google ScholarPubMed
Johnsson, I. D., Butler-Hogg, B. W., Hathorn, D. J. and Wilde, R. 1986. The effects of dose and method of administration of recombinant bovine somatotropin on fleece growth and body composition in young, fattening lambs. Animal Production 42: 433 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Johnsson, I. D. and Hart, I. C. 1986. Manipulation of milk yield with growth hormone. In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition — 1986 (ed. Haresign, W. and Cole, D. J. A.). Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Johnsson, I. D., Hart, I. C. and Butler-Hogg, B. W. 1985. The effects of exogenous bovine growth hormone and bromocriptine on growth, body development, fleece weight and plasma concentrations of growth hormone, insulin and prolactin in female lambs. Animal Production 41: 207217.Google Scholar
Li, C. H. 1977. Bioassay of pituitary growth hormone. In Hormonal Proteins and Peptides. Vol. IV. Growth Hormone and Related Proteins, (ed. Li, C. H.), pp. 141. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
McClymont, G. L., Wynne, K. N., Briggs, P. K. and Franklin, M. C. 1957. Sodium chloride supplementation of high-grain diets for fattening Merino sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 8: 8390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacHlin, L. J. 1972. Effect of porcine growth hormone on growth and carcass composition of the pig. Journal of Animal Science 35: 794800.Google Scholar
Moseley, W. M., Krabill, L. F. and Olsen, R. F. 1982. Effect of bovine growth hormone administered in various patterns on nitrogen metabolism in the Holstein steer. Journal of Animal Science 55: 10621070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muir, L. A., Wien, S., Duquette, P. F., Rickes, E. L. and Cordes, E. H. 1983. Effects of exogenous growth hormone and diethylstilbestrol on growth and carcass composition of growing lambs. Journal of Animal Science 56: 13151323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peel, C. J., Bauman, D. E., Gorewit, R. C. and Sniffen, C. J. 1981. Effect of exogenous growth hormone on lactational performance in high yielding dairy cows. Journal of Nutrition 111: 16621671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penning, P. D., Corcuera, P. and Treacher, T. T. 1980. Effect of dry-matter concentration of milk substitute and method of feeding on intake and performance by lambs. Animal Feed Science and Technology 5: 321336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pullar, R. A., Johnsson, I. D., Chadwick, P. M. E. and Hart, I. C. 1986. Recombinant bovine somatotropin is growth promoting and lipolytic in fattening lambs. Animal Production 42: 433434 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Rebhun, J. F., Etherton, T. D., Wiggins, J. P., Chung, C. S., Walton, P. E. and Steele, N. 1985. Stimulation of swine growth performance by porcine growth hormone (pGH): Determination of the maximally effective pGH dose. Journal of Animal Science 60: Suppl. 1, p. 251 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Tindal, J. S., Knaggs, G. S., Hart, I. C. and Blake, L. A. 1978. Release of growth hormone in lactating and non-lactating goats in relation to behaviour, stages of sleep, electroencephalograms, environmental stimuli and levels of prolactin, insulin, glucose and free fatty acids in the circulation. Journal of Endocrinology 76: 333346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wallace, A. L. C. and Bassett, J. M. 1966. Effect of sheep growth hormone on plasma insulin concentration n i sheep. Metabolism 15: 9597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallis, M. 1975. The molecular evolution of pituitary hormones. Biological Reviews 50: 3598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wallis, M. and Dew, J. A. 1973. The bioassay of growth hormone in Snell's dwarf mice: effects of thyroxine and prolactin on the dose-respone curve. Journal of Encocrinology 56: 235243.Google Scholar
Wheatley, I. S., Wallace, A. L. C. and Bassett, J. M. 1966. Metabolic effects of ovine growth hormone in sheep. Journal of Endocrinology 35: 341353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolfrom, G. W. and Ivy, R. E. 1985. Effects of exogenous growth hormone in growing beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science 60: Suppl. 1, pp. 249250 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Wolfrom, G. W., Ivy, R. E. and Baldwin, C. D. 1985. Effects on growth hormone alone and in combination with Ralgro (Zeranol) in lambs. Journal of Animal Science 60: Suppl. 1, p. 249 (Abstr.).Google Scholar