• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.461-474
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• 2022

Objective: This experiment investigated the effects of supplementing vitamin D₃-fortified sow and progeny diets with 25(OH)D₃ on growth performance, carcass characteristics, immunity, and pork meat quality. Methods: The present study involved the assessment of supplementing the diet of sows and their progeny with or without 25 (OH)D₃ in a 2×2 factorial arrangement on the performance and production characteristics of wean-finish pigs. Forty-eight multiparous sows were assigned to a basal diet containing 2000 IU/kg vitamin D₃ and supplemented without (CON) or with (TRT) 50 ㎍/kg 25 (OH)D₃. At weaning, a total of 80 pigs each from CON and TRT sows were allocated to weaning and growing-finishing basal diets fortified with 2,500 and 1,750 IU/kg vitamin D₃ respectively and supplemented without or with 50 ㎍/kg 25(OH)D₃. Results: Sows fed 25(OH)D₃-supplemented diets improved pre-weaning growth rate of nursing piglets. A significant sow and pig weaning diet effect was observed for growth rate and feed efficiency (p<0.05) during days 1 to 42 post-weaning. Pigs consuming 25(OH)D₃-supplemented diets gained weight faster (p = 0.016), ate more (p = 0.044) and tended to convert feed to gain more efficiently (p = 0.088) than those fed CON diet between days 98 and 140 post-weaning. Supplemental 25(OH)D₃ improved water holding capacity and reduced drip loss of pork meat, increased serum 25(OH)D₃ level, produced higher interleukin-1 and lower interleukin-6 concentrations in blood circulation, downregulated myostatin (MSTN) and upregulated myogenic differentiation (MYOD) and myogenic factor 5 (MYF5) gene expressions (p<0.05). Conclusion: Supplementing vitamin D₃-fortified sow and wean-finish pig diets with 50 ㎍/kg 25(OH)D₃ significantly improved production performance suggesting their current dietary vitamin D₃ levels are insufficient. In fulfilling the total need for vitamin D, it is strongly recommended to add 50 ㎍/kg 25(OH)D₃ "on top" to practical vitamin D₃-fortified sow and wean-finish pig diets deployed under commercial conditions.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of supplementation of mulberry powder, mulberry extract and silkworm powder during the 8 weeks of resistance exercise on Androgen receptor(AR) mRNA and Myogenic regulatory factors(MRFs) expression of rats muscle. Fifty males, Sprague-Dawley rat, were randomly divided into 5 groups: CON(control group, n = 10), REG(resistance exercise group, n = 10), MP REG(mulberry powder intake and resistance exercise group, n = 10), ME REG(mulberry extract intake and resistance exercise group, n = 10) and SP REG(silkworm powder intake and resistance exercise group, n = 10). After climbing the ladder without weights during the 1 week of adaptation period, the rats in the resistance exercise group were trained to climb a 0.98-m vertical(80 degree incline) ladder with weights in their tail during 7 weeks(10 times each day, 2 days per week). After exercise, the skeletal muscle was extracted from the flexor hallucis longus. After separating the total ribonucleic acid (RNA) of each group, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze RNA quantitatively. AR mRNA and MRFs expression revealed that all of the treated groups had significantly difference. AR mRNA expression increased in ME REG $6.24{\pm}1.85$ and SP REG $9.68{\pm}0.28$ fold compared to CON. Myod mRNA expression increased in MP REG $6.04{\pm}0.47$, ME REG $4.31{\pm}1.58$ and SP REG $8.11{\pm}0.57$ fold compared to CON. And myogenin mRNA expression increased in MP REG $4.11{\pm}0.42$, ME REG $4.12{\pm}0.45$ and SP REG $6.50{\pm}0.61$ fold compared to CON. In conclusion, during the resistance exercise, providing mulberry and silkworm gives positive effect on AR mRNA and MRFs expression increase.