Recombinant porcine somatotropin and dietary protein enhance protein synthesis in growing pigs.

The effects of a daily porcine somatotropin injection on protein synthesis rate in muscle (longissimus), liver and intestine, as influenced by dietary protein, were investigated in 17 pigs. The measurements were made at wk 3 of treatment following 1 wk for adaptation to the diet and 1 wk for determination of nitrogen balance. The fractional rates of protein synthesis in the muscle, liver and intestine were measured using a flooding dose of L-[1-13C]valine. Positive responses of weight gain and nitrogen balance were observed, primarily at higher dietary protein intake, after porcine somatotropin treatment. As expected, porcine somatotropin-treated pigs had a higher proportion of muscle and less fat. Fractional protein synthesis rate was 16% higher in the liver of porcine somatotropin-treated pigs (P < 0.05). In the longissimus muscle fractional protein synthesis rate increased with porcine somatotropin dose from 3.2 to 3.7%/d and from 4.1 to 5.1%/d at low and high protein intake, respectively (P < 0.05). The effect of dietary protein on fractional protein synthesis rate in longissimus was significant, but there was no porcine somatotropin x protein interaction. Ribonucleic acid concentration followed the same pattern as fractional protein synthesis rate in liver and longissimus. In the duodenal tissue, porcine somatotropin treatment depressed fractional protein synthesis rate (P < 0.05) without an effect of dietary protein and RNA concentration did not change. In porcine somatotropin compared with placebo-treated pigs, plasma glucose, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations were elevated whereas plasma thyroxine was depressed and plasma triiodothyronine remained constant. There was no clear effect of dietary protein on plasma hormones. We concluded that, in pigs fed an adequate level of protein, porcine somatotropin stimulates protein synthesis in the liver and the muscle, primarily through increased ribosomal capacity.