Growth and reproductive development of male piglets are more vulnerable to midgestation maternal stress than that of female piglets12

Abstract

In many mammalian species, prenatal stress masculinizes female and feminizes male offspring impairing their reproductive capacity. Regrouping gestating sows is a common, stressful production practice, but its impact on the developing pigs of the sow is not fully known. This study examined the effects of regrouping gestating sows and the administration of exogenous glucocorticoids on the growth and external reproductive morphology of pigs. At 37.2 ± 0.26 d of gestation, 6 cohorts of 18 sows (N = 108) were placed in 1 of 3 treatments: socially stable (Stable), hydrocortisone acetate (HCA), or mixed (Mixed). The HCA sows were administered 70 mg HCA, a synthetic glucocorticoid, twice daily during the 21 d experimental period. Each Mixed sow was penned with 2 companion sows (Companion) and regrouped on d 7 and 14 with 2 different Companion sows in a new pen. Stable and HCA sows were penned in treatment groups of 3 sows. Sow social rank was assessed weekly during feeding. After the 21 d experimental period, all sows were housed in gestation stalls for the duration of pregnancy. During the 21 d, Companion sows gained more weight than HCA and Mixed sows (P < 0.05) with Stable sows intermediate. High ranked sows gained more weight than middle and low ranked sows (P < 0.05). Mixed sows had greater head lesion scores than Stable and HCA sows (P < 0.05) with Companion sows intermediate. Head lesions increased with lower social rank (P < 0.001). Sow treatment did not affect farrowing rate, litter size, or sex ratio (P > 0.10). Social rank also had no effect on farrowing rate (P > 0.10), but affected total litter size (P = 0.03). High ranked sows bore and weaned more live females than low ranked sows (P < 0.05), in part due to differential preweaning mortality among female pigs (P = 0.01). Only male pigs were affected by sow treatment. Preweaning mortality was higher among male pigs from HCA than from Mixed sows (P = 0.04) with other treatments intermediate. Despite no weight differences in the preweaning period, at 160 d of age males from HCA sows weighed more than males from Stable sows (P = 0.01) with other treatments intermediate. Males born to Companion sows had longer relative anogenital distances, a marker of fetal testosterone exposure, than males from Mixed sows (P = 0.03) with other treatments intermediate. The prenatal environment affected the pigs in a sex-specific manner altering the growth and reproductive morphology of the males more than that of the females. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. middle and low ranked sows (P < 0.05). Mixed sows had greater head lesion scores than Stable and HCA sows (P < 0.05) with Companion sows intermediate. Head lesions increased with lower social rank (P < 0.001). Sow treatment did not affect farrowing rate, litter size, or sex ratio (P > 0.10). Social rank also had no effect on farrowing rate (P > 0.10), but affected total litte...

The impact of pre-natal stress on offspring development in pigs

“…An increased endogenous cortisol release of the mother was achieved either by intravenous infusions or by repeated injections of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (Bate et al 1991;Otten et al 2004;Backus et al 2013). In another model, the plasma and salivary cortisol concentrations of pregnant sows were increased by repeated oral administration of hydrocortisone acetate (HCA) (Kranendonk et al 2005;Mack et al 2014). In addition, combinations of different treatments were also studied.…”

Simulated disease process during late pregnancy compromises developmental outcomes of lambs independently of the weaning method applied

“…However, after being subjected to stress during pregnancy, the present data show that birth weight is lower in lambs born from stressed mother at the third trimester of gestation and male lambs were not able to recover from this stress. The results point out that high cortisol levels during pregnancy may modify the activity of other hormones in several species, and that high cortisol levels negatively influence the development of male lambs and can even promote changes in the reproductive organs (Ward and Weisz, 1984;Von Holst, 1998;Mack et al, 2014).…”

A novel synonymous SNP (A47A) of the &lt;i&gt;TMEM95&lt;/i&gt; gene is significantly associated with the reproductive traits related to testis in male piglets

“…It is well known that reproduction traits are determined by both females and males (Beerda et al, 2008;Pausch et al, 2014); however, to date, numerous studies on reproduction traits of female pigs have been published, but the study of male reproductive traits is limited. Owing to the more important role of males in reproduction in the pig industry, male reproduction should be emphasized in the current pig industry (Mack et al, 2014).…”