Sodium-butyrate as a growth promoter in milk replacer formula for young calves.

In milk-fed calves, the effects of sodium-butyrate (Na-butyrate) to replace flavomycin on growth performance and some mechanisms involved were studied. Pancreatic and intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, plasma gut regulatory peptide concentrations, and expression of their receptors in the gastrointestinal tract were measured. Gastrointestinal tract defense systems were examined by measuring protein levels of 2 heat-shock proteins (HSP27 and HSP70). The calves were randomly allocated into 2 groups fed the same basic diet with flavomycin as an antimicrobial growth promoter or with Na-butyrate (3 g/kg of dry matter). Sodium-butyrate disappeared quickly in the upper gut and was not found in circulating blood. Supplementation with Na-butyrate enhanced growth rate and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the flavomycin group. Supplementation with Na-butyrate was likely associated with an improvement in efficacy of the gastrointestinal tract digestive capacities expressed by enhanced production of digestive enzymes and increased absorptive capacities in the upper small intestine. The effects could have been controlled by insulin-like growth factor-1 but probably not by any of the cholecystokinin/gastrin peptide family. Concentrations of HSP27 and HSP70 were increased in stomach and colon of calves receiving Na-butyrate, thereby assuring protection of cells with intensive metabolism (chaperone function). In conclusion, beneficial effects of Na-butyrate on maturation of gastrointestinal functions were shown in milk-fed calves and may be applied to young mammals of other species.

Effects of fasting and feeding on protein synthesis by the rat pancreas.

These experiments were designed to determine whether fasting and feeding were associated with differing rates of protein synthesis in the rat pancreas. It has been established that feeding, acetylcholine, or cholecystokinin-pancreozymin administration was associated with enhanced rates of digestive enzyme secretion; however, the literature is unclear as to effects of such stimulation on enzyme synthesis. Rats fed ad lib. or fasted 24, 48, or 72 hr were used for this study. Pancreases were removed and incubated in tissue culture medium with l-phenylalanine-(14)C, and incorporation into TCA-insoluble material as well as purified amylase was measured. Compared with fed controls, fasting 24, 48, and 72 hr was associated with 29%, 39%, and 35% decreases in incorporation of l-phenylalanine-(14)C into protein. Decreases of similar magnitudes were apparent whether the data were expressed in terms of protein or DNA. Pancreatic amylase isolated from rats fasted 48 hr contained 57% fewer counts of l-phenylalanine-(14)C than amylase isolated from fed rats. Moreover, rats fasted for 24 hr and given bethanechol chloride incorporated greater amounts of l-phenylalanine-(14)C into protein than fasted controls. Studies were performed to exclude changes in pool size of precursor (l-phenylalanine-(14)C) or product (amylase) in accounting for decreases associated with fasting. These studies demonstrate that fasting was associated with decreased rates of pancreatic amylase and protein synthesis in rats.