Are IGF-I, thyroid hormone and metabolite concentrations in calf plasma associated with growth rate, sex and age?

Abstract

The aims of our experiments were (1) to study age-dependent changes in bovine plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1), thyroid hormones (T3, T4), some metabolites (glucose, triglycerides, ketone bodies), calcium, phosphorus and sodium, and (2) to determine whether plasma concentrations of these substances are associated with individual and sex-dependent differences in the growth rates of calves. Eight male and 8 female calves were weighed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment and daily gain and feed consumption (dry matter, crude protein, PDIN and NEL per kg daily gain) were determined. Plasma concentrations of IGF-I, T3, T4, glucose, triglycerides, ketone bodies, calcium, phosphorus and sodium were measured in calves at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks of age. There were significant age-dependent increases in the plasma concentrations of IGF-I and glucose. Males had a significantly higher daily gain and lower feed consumption than females, but no sex-dependent differences in plasma constituents were detected. In both sexes, daily gain was positively correlated with plasma IGF-I (coefficients of correlation r=0.630 in females and r=0.614 in males) and glucose (r=0.496 and 0.427, respectively) concentrations, but not with other substances. Our observations show that there are age-dependent changes in IGF-I and glucose concentrations (but not in those of other substances), and that IGF-I and glucose, in contrast with other substances, may be indicators or regulators of individual growth rates.

Diet supplemented with olive cake as a model of circular economy: Metabolic and endocrine responses of beef cattle

“…In the present study, insulin was higher in bulls and increased from 56 to 147 d, whereas the opposite was true for glucose, in accordance with the literature (Roy et al, 1983;Gray et al, 1986;Beeby et al, 1988;Plouzek and Trenkle, 1991;Shingu et al, 2001). Bulls, in fact, show higher concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1, growth hormone, and insulin compared with cows, probably due to the effect of sex-dependent steroid, and this might partially explain their increased growth rate (Ronge and Blum, 1989;Plouzek and Trenkle, 1991;Sirotkin et al, 2002). Fat accumulation in different depots is also sexually dimorphic: in humans, men accumulate more visceral fat, whereas women accumulate more subcutaneous fat and have a higher overall percentage of body fat.…”

“…Fat accumulation in different depots is also sexually dimorphic: in humans, men accumulate more visceral fat, whereas women accumulate more subcutaneous fat and have a higher overall percentage of body fat. There is also evidence indicating that insulin sensitivity differs between males and females (Sirotkin et al, 2002;Macotela et al, 2009). In mice, it was observed that the intra-abdominal depot is regulated by physiological levels of sex steroid and that female mice are more insulin-sensitive that males and their adipocyte show higher expression of glucose and lipid metabolism genes (Mittendorfer, 2005).…”

Effects of Feeding Milk Replacer Ad Libitum or in Restricted Amounts for the First Five Weeks of Life on the Growth, Metabolic Adaptation, and Immune Status of Newborn Calves

“…Yet, female calves had greater plasma concentrations of total protein, glucose, insulin and IGFBPs in the present study, but gender did not affect the growth performance and plasma IGF-I. These findings are surprising because growth rates and plasma IGF-I are typically greater in male than in female calves [36,85–87], but not all studies indicate differences in the growth rate or plasma IGF-I during the milk-fed period [88,89]. One explanation could be that in the present study, the birth weight was not affected by gender, but birth weight is strongly correlated with the subsequent body weight in calves [90].…”