The energy value for and nutritive value of para-rubber seed for rats.

The digestible (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) of full-fat and defatted rubber seed meals (FRS and DRS) were determined with weanling albino rats fed diets in which the meals replaced either 20 or 40% glucose monohydrate in the reference diet. The nutritive value of both FRS and DRS included at 10, 20 and 30% of the diet as substitutes for groundnut meal and yellow maize was studied with 56, 28-day-old albino rats of the Wistar strain. The trial lasted 28 days. Nutrient digestion and nitrogen retention were studied at the end of the second week on test. The DE and ME for FRS were on average 24.7 +/- 1.30 and 21.7 +/- 0.80 hy/g dry matter and those for DRS were 15.3 +/- 0.97 and 13.8 +/- 0.46 hy/g dry matter. Incorporation of rubber seed meals at increasing levels in the diet significantly depressed gains and worsened feed/gain ratio (P < 0.01), the diet containing 30% FRS or 20 and 30% DRS being significantly inferior to the control and the diet with 10% FRS or DRS. Significantly (P < 0.01) superior gains but not feed intake and efficiency were obtained for FRS compared to DRS. Percent intake -N retained also decreased with increasing rubber seed levels in the diet. Except for the significantly (P < 0.05) higher crude fibre digestibility of the control diet compared with those containing 20 or 30% FRS or DRS, the digestibilities of other nutrients were not significantly different.

The interactive effects of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) trypsin inhibitor, hemagglutinin and cyanide on some hepatic dehydrogenases, ornithine carbamoyltransferase and intestinal disaccharidases in weanling rats.

The interactive effects of lima bean trypsin inhibitor (TI), hemagglutinin (Hgg) and cyanide (CN) when fed at the same degree of activity as found in the raw lima bean (RLB) were assessed in weanling rats using hepatic glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH), ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) and intestinal disaccharidases activities as the response criteria. Whereas RLB significantly (P less than 0.05) increased hepatic GLDH and decreased ICDH activities respectively, dietary CN, TI and Hgg whether acting individually or jointly had no significant influence on GLDH. Only the CN-containing diets significantly (P less than 0.05) elevated ICDH activity when compared with the control. Raw lima bean significantly (P less than 0.05) depressed OCT activity while neither the individual nor collective effects of these factors were significant. Dietary CN + TI + Hgg interaction depressed maltase activity to approximately the same extent as RLB in all the intestinal regions. These factors had neither individual nor collective effects on sucrase in the small intestine. Lactase activity in the small intestine was influenced only by the RLB diet, while CN + Hgg, and CN + TI + Hgg dietary combinations induced significant (P less than 0.05) elevations in the activities of cellobiase when compared with the control. Although synergism of action is indicated in a number of instances, it is suggested that these factors may need to combine with others within the bean, perhaps synergistically, to elicit comparable anti-nutritional influences as the RLB.

Effects of sex, age, and body weight on the growth of selected organs and body parts of indigenous Nigerian pigs.

The absolute and relative growth of the head, spleen, kidney fat, stomach, and intestine were studied for 64 intact male, castrated male, and female indigenous Nigerian pigs each. Highly significant (P less than 0.001) sex, age, and sex X age interactions were obtained for the absolute and relative weights of some of the organs and body parts. The results indicate that the organ and part growth was particularly rapid between birth and 280 days of age, but stabilized beyond that time. The average growth coefficient 'b' obtained from the linearized form Y = axb of the growth equation varied between 0.819 for the head and 1.677 for the kidney fat and agreed with relevant values reported in the literature. They confirmed the sequential anterior-posterior growth pattern of organs and body parts in different anatomical regions of the body. A comparison of the allometric and quadratic models used indicated that the organ/body part growth was better described by body weight than by age.

Aspects of linear growth of muscles in the indigenous Nigerian pig.

The development of the length of 2 spinal column, 7 hind limb, and 4 fore limb muscles of one body half were investigated in 64 female, male, and castrated male indigenous Nigerian pigs each from birth to 627 days of age. While the muscle lengths increased significantly (P less than 0.001) with age, non-significant sex influences (P greater than 0.05) were obtained except for M. gastrocnemius and M. infraspinatus. The rate of longitudinal growth in muscles was greatest between the birth and 112 days of age. The ratio of linear equivalence (cubic root) of the muscle weights to muscle lengths indicated the proportionate increase in transverse growth relative to longitudinal growth. Generally, these ratios were higher in the earlier than in the later phase of growth and stabilized between 112 and 448 days post natal. Linear modelling of the growth gave highest values for male and lowest values for castrated animals. Muscle length growth was more closely related to body weight than to chronological age. Estimates of the longissimus dorsi muscle diameter were highly related to the body weight (R2 = 0.96), with intact male pigs exhibiting the highest growth potential in this parameter.

The influence of dietary methionine, protein, and energy levels on glutamic-oxalacetate and glutamic-pyruvate transaminases of chicken.

The variations were tested in dietary methionine, protein, and caloric density on the glutamic-oxalacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvate transaminase (GTP). The GOT was not affected by the protein and methionine levels either in the plasma or liver. Plasma GTP tended to increase (P less than 0.01) between 0.28% and 0.44% methionine levels in experiment I and between 0.26% and 0.50% in experiment 2. In the liver, the GTP activity was similar in both experiments. The interaction between methionine + cystine and protein was significant in their effect on the GTP activity. This enzyme decreased in the plasma with increasing methionine + cystine level, while it increased with increasing protein level. The GTP activity was negatively correlated (r = -0.52) with the energy level in the liver. From the trends of the GTP activity, the minimum and optimum methionine levels in broiler diets can be derived.

Pathological observations on rats dosed with limabean and cowpea hemagglutinins.

The toxic effects of cowpea and limabean extracts containing hemagglutinins and pathological changes in organs of weanling and growing rats were investigated. Livers of weanling rats injected with limabean hemagglutinin mean lethal dose (MLD), showed marked congestion of the sinusoids. Livers of growing rats thus inoculated, including those given the lethal and sublethal doses of cowpea hemagglutinin, did not show any marked lesions. There was evidence of marked congestion of the medullary sinusoids in the spleen and of the glomeruli in the kidney of weanling and growing rats inoculated with either the sublethal doses of limabean hemagglutinin or lethal doses of cowpea and limabean hemagglutinins. Slight hemorrhages were observed in the intestinal walls of weanling rats while slight thickening of the alveolar septa took place in the lungs of rats dosed with the lethal and sublethal doses of cowpea hemagglutinin. The testis, brain and heart of weanling and growing rats were unaffected by hemagglutinin treatment.

Effect of hemagglutinin extracts on acetylcholinesterase activity in some brain areas of weanling rats.

Two trials involving male and female weanling albino rats (Wistar strain) were conducted to investigate the effects of cowpea and limabean hemagglutinin extracts on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in different parts of the brain. The results show that AChE activity varies with brain region. Cowpea hemagglutinin significantly inhibited AChE activity in the pons of male and female rats, while limabean hemagglutinin significantly inhibited AChE activities in the pons of both male and female rats, in the hippocampus of female rats and in the medulla, cerebellum and midbrain of male rats. Inhibition of AChE activities was more pronounced in male or female rats inoculated with a mean lethal dose of either phytohemagglutinin, than in those inoculated with a sublethal dose.

Haemoglobin values and some biochemical parameters of different breeds and sexes of pigs in a tropical humid environment.

The serum values were determined of haemoglobin (Hb), total protein, uric acid, citrulline, and transaminases (SGOT and SGPT) in 47 boars and non-pregnant gilts of six breeds: eight pure Large Whites (LW), seven pure Durocs (DR), eight Landraces (LR), eight indigenous (IND), eight three-way crosses (LW X DR X Hampshire), and eight two-way crosses (LW X DR). The urea values of the serum were influenced significantly (P less than 0.01) by the breed and sex, the levels of Hb and SGOT were only affected by the breed. Besides, a significant (P less than 0.01) influence was found of the sex on the uric acid values. The total serum protein and the SGPT activities were not significantly affected by either breed or sex.

Methionine requirement of weanling Large White x Landrace pigs and determined by plasma urea concentration, nitrogen retention and some urinary nitrogenous components.

The methionine requirements of weanling Large White x Landrace pigs fed a 20% protein cassava flour-soybean meal diet were evaluated using nitrogen balance, plasma urea concentration, urinary nitrogenous end products and the index--(allantoin/urinary urea) x protein intake (A/U x Ip). Sensitivities of the response criteria to sex differences in methionine requirements were compared. Allantoin excretion consistently and significantly (P less than 0.05) increased with increasing methionine levels to a maximum of 0.55% total methionine. Maximum nitrogen retention was observed in diets containing 0.55, 0.47 and 0.55% total methionine for castrated males, females and the pooled data for both sexes, respectively. Minimum urea concentration in plasma was obtained with the diets containing 0.55% methionine. The index, + A/U x Ip, showed that the diet was better utilized when it contained 0.63, 0.55 and 0.63% total methionine in castrates, females and combination of the two sexes, respectively.

Liver glutamate-oxalate transaminase and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase activity in pigs as influenced by dietary methionine and lysine levels.

Four trials involving 192 Large White X Landrace pigs were conducted to investigate the effect of wide variation of dietary methionine, lysine and caloric density on the activity of hepatic glutamate-oxalate ad glutamate-pyruvate transaminases. Results of the study show that: The activities of the two transaminases were influenced by the nutritional treatments. GOT and GPT activity exhibited significant positive and negative quadratic relationship respectively with dietary methionine levels. Both GOT and GPT activities decreased with increasing caloric density or palm oil level of the diet. In weanling pigs, both GOT and GPT exhibited significant negative quadratic relationship with dietary lysine levels and were also significantly influenced by the sex of the animals. In older pigs, only GOT activity was significantly affected by dietary lysine levels. The correlation of GOT and GPT activities to dietary essential amino acids shows that hepatic enzymatic activities could be good indices of essential amino acid utilization.

Methionine supplementation of low protein diets for broiler chicks in the tropics.

In the first experiment, diets containing 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 or 24% protein with no methionine supplementation were tested, while in the second experiment diets containing 16, 18 and 20% supplemented with methionine to give 90, 100 or 110% of the recommended N.R.C. levels were compared with an unsupplemented 24% protein diet. 2. Methionine supplementation of the low protein diets stimulated faster gains than the unsupplemented diets but not enough to surpass the response to the 24% protein control diet. 3. It was concluded that a high protein diet unsupplemented with methionine was more economical to feed to broilers than supplemented low protein diets.