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Level of nutrition and visceral organ size and metabolic activity in sheep*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

D. G. Burrin ,
C. L. Ferrell ,
R. A. Britton  and
Marc Bauer
D. G. Burrin
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0908, USA
C. L. Ferrell
Affiliation:
Roman L. Hruska Meat Animal Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Clay Center, Nebraska, USA
R. A. Britton
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0908, USA
Marc Bauer
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0908, USA
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Abstract

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Thirty-two crossbred wether lambs (initial live-weight 31 kg) were fed on a diet (metabolizable energy (ME) 12.8 MJ/kg) ad lib. (ADLIB) or restricted to maintain body-weight (MAINT) for a 21 d period. On days 0, 7, 14 and 21, four lambs per treatment were slaughtered, visceral organs weighed and tissues sampled. During the 21 d period, ME intake in ADLIB lambs increased quadratically with an average rate of live-weight gain of 425 g/d. In MAINT lambs, live weight (30 kg) was maintained, and daily ME intake (kJ/kg empty body-weight (EBW)0.75) declined (P < 0.01) quadratically with time. Weights of liver, stomach and small intestines as a percentage of EBW were increased in ADLIB lambs and decreased by 10–33 % in MAINT lambs (treatment × day, P < 0.01). In vitro liver oxygen consumption was not affected by level of feed intake. Estimates of whole-liver O2 consumption (mmol O2/d per kg EBW) increased in ADLIB lambs and were relatively constant in MAINT lambs. These findings suggest that level of feed intake changes the relative proportion of visceral organs to body mass. In addition, the effect of level of feed intake on changes in the relative contribution of visceral organs to whole-body metabolic rate appears to be primarily a result of differences in organ size rather than tissue-specific metabolic activity.

Keywords

Nutrient restrictionOrgan size and metabolismSheep
Type
Energy Metabolism
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , September 1990 , pp. 439 - 448
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1990

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