Impact of diet deprivation and subsequent over-allowance during prepuberty. Part 2. Effects on mammary gland development and lactation performance of sows.

ABSTRACT

The impact of diet deprivation and subsequent over-allowance in prepubertal gilts on their mammary development and mammary gene expression at the end of gestation and their lactation performance over 2 parities was determined. Seventy-seven gilts were reared under a conventional (control, CTL; n = 41) or an experimental (treatment, TRT; n = 36) dietary regimen. The experimental regimen provided 70 (restriction diet, RES) and 115% (over-allowance diet, OVER) of the protein and DE contents provided by the CTL diet. Experimental diets were fed ad libitum starting at 27.7 ± 3.4 kg of BW as follows 3 wk RES, 3 wk OVER, 4 wk RES, and 4 wk OVER. All gilts were bred, and 34 were slaughtered on d 110 of gestation (18 CTL and 16 TRT) to collect mammary tissue for compositional analyses and gene expression measurements. Remaining gilts (23 CTL and 20 TRT) were maintained for 2 parities, and litter performance data were obtained. Blood samples for hormonal and metabolite assays were obtained on d 110 of gestation from all sows slaughtered at that time and from 14 sows per treatment on d 2 and 17 of lactation in the first parity. Milk samples were obtained from these same sows on d 17 of lactation in both parities. There was a tendency for mammary parenchymal tissue to contain less protein in TRT than CTL sows (P < 0.10), and relative mRNA abundance of the signal transducer and activator of transduction 5B gene was increased in parenchyma from TRT sows (P < 0.05). Circulating prolactin (P < 0.05) and milk lactose concentrations (P < 0.01) were less, whereas milk protein content was greater (P < 0.05) in TRT sows than CTL sows on d 17 of lactation. Nevertheless, growth rate of suckling piglets over the first 2 parities was unaffected by treatment. In conclusion, the use of a diet deprivation and over-allowance regimen in the growing-finishing period did not have beneficial effects on mammary gene expression or on sow and piglet performance.