Level of glucose, calcium and phosphorus in blood serum of the first litter sows with normal and disturbed lactation

A Nitovski,D.T Grcak,S.R Jotanovic,V.S Milanovic,M Grcak,B.V Radovic,M Milenkovic

doi:10.2298/bah1103843n

Abstract

The main task in intensive pig production is animal welfare, particularly the preservation of their physiological function, homeostasis and homeorhesis and lactation, where the level of glucose, calcium and phosphorus in blood plays an important role in protecting the physiological status. This research has been carried out on a modern farm, of closed type in Zitoradja, in order to show the level of glucose, calcium and phosphorus in the blood serum of the first farrowing gilts and sows during pregnancy and post partum. In investigation, 30 pregnant gilts took part from insemination to partus. Blood was taken from the jugular vein on the thirtieth day after insemination, ten days before farrowing, one day after farrowing, and seven days after farrowing. The concentration of glucose in the blood serum of gilts with normal lactation was significantly higher ten days before farrowing (4.62 mmol/l) and on the first (4.92 mmol/l) and seventh day after farrowing (4.94 mmol/l) in relation to the concentration of glucose on the thirtieth day prior to farrowing (4.12 mmol/l), but this increase could not be found in gilts with disorders of lactation. The concentration of calcium before of partus (2.16 mmol/l) and post partum (2.55 mmol/l), in sows with normal lactation, showed a significant difference compared to the calcium concentration at the beginning of pregnancy (p <0.05) and in gilts with disturbed lactation. Phosphorus concentration showed no significant difference in gilts with normal and disturbed lactation (2.26 : 2.25 mmol/l).

Highlights

The main prerequisite for successful breeding of piglets is high lactation of sows
We have presented test results according to the parameters that were determined in pregnant gilts and sows of first farrowing with normal and disturbed lactation
The concentration of glucose in the blood serum of gilts with normal lactation ranged from 4.07 to 4.85 mmol/l depending on the period of reproduction

Summary

Introduction

The main prerequisite for successful breeding of piglets is high lactation of sows. In literature, the descriptions of the importance of genetic and paragenetic factors on lactogenesis, lactopoiesis and lactation of sows, can be found, especially related to first litter sows. In our work we wanted to determine how certain minerals, precisely calcium and phosphorus and glucose carbohydrate affect milk yield of first litter sows. The biggest part of blood calcium is in the plasma. The calcium in the blood plasma can be found in three forms: ionized (diffusible), protein bound (non- diffusible) and small amounts of complex bound with citrate. All three forms of calcium in the plasma are in equilibrium with each other. The total concentration of calcium in the blood serum is 2.5 mmol/l. Ionized calcium has a number of significant roles in an organism (Stojic, 1996). Calcium is essential for many physiological processes such as neuromuscular irritability, changes in cell membrane permeability, muscular contractions, cardiac activity, the synthesis and release of acetylcholine, activation of enzyme systems (ATP-ase, lipase, succinate dehydrogenase), blood coagulation etc. The needs are greater for calcium during pregnancy and lactation (Cunningham et al, 2007)

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