Effects of flax supplementation and a combined trenbolone acetate and estradiol implant on circulating insulin-like growth factor-I and muscle insulin-like growth factor-I messenger RNA levels in beef cattle

• Published in: Journal of animal science 2003-12, Vol.81 (12), p.3028-3034
• Main Authors: Dunn, J.D, Johnson, B.J, Kayser, J.P, Waylan, A.T, Sissom, E.K, Drouillard, J.S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acetates; alpha-linolenic acid; alpha-Linolenic Acid - pharmacology; Anabolic Agents - pharmacology; Animal productions; Animals; beef cattle; Biological and medical sciences; biopsy; blood; Cattle - blood; Cattle - growth & development; Cattle - metabolism; cell culture; cultured cells; Dietary Supplements; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Combinations; Drug Implants; estradiol; Estradiol - administration & dosage; Estradiol - pharmacology; finishing; Flax; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression regulation; insulin-like growth factor I; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - genetics; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - metabolism; linseed; longissimus muscle; Male; messenger RNA; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Random Allocation; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; steers; Terrestrial animal productions; trenbolone; Trenbolone Acetate - administration & dosage; Trenbolone Acetate - analogs & derivatives; Trenbolone Acetate - pharmacology; Vertebrates; yearlings
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.2527/2003.81123028x

We evaluated effects of a 5% (dry matter basis) ground flaxseed supplement (flax) and a trenbolone acetate and estradiol-17β implant, Revalor-S, on circulating IGF-I and muscle IGF-I messenger RNA (mRNA). Sixteen crossbred yearling steers (initial BW = 397 kg) were assigned randomly to one of four treatments: 1) flax/implant; 2) nonflax/implant; 3) flax/nonimplant; and 4) nonflax/nonimplant. Serum was harvested from blood collected on d 0 (before implant or flax addition), 14, and 28, and used in subsequent analyses of circulating IGF-I. Biopsy samples (0.5 g) were obtained from the longissimus muscle on d 0, 14, and 28. Total RNA was isolated from the muscle samples, and real-time quantitative-PCR was used to assess relative differences in IGF-I mRNA. Flax supplementation had no effect (P > 0.10) on circulating IGF-I concentrations. Following implantation, sera from implanted steers had 52 and 84% greater (P < 0.05) IGF-I concentrations than sera from nonimplanted steers on d 14 and 28, respectively. On d 28, local muscle IGF-I mRNA levels increased 2.4-fold (P < 0.01) in biopsy samples obtained from implanted compared with nonimplanted steers. Muscle biopsy samples from nonflax cattle had 4.4-fold higher (P < 0.01) levels of IGF-I mRNA than those from flax cattle on d 28. To determine whether a component of flax, α-linolenic acid (αLA), was directly responsible for IGF-I mRNA down-regulation, we incubated primary cultures of bovine satellite cells, from implanted and nonimplanted steers, in two concentrations of αLA (10 nM and 1 μM). An implant × dose interaction (P < 0.05) was observed for IGF-I mRNA concentrations in bovine satellite cells cultured for 72 h with αLA. Satellite cells from nonimplanted steers had similar (P > 0.10) IGF-I mRNA concentration regardless of the level of αLA exposure; however, satellite cells from implanted steers exposed to 10 nM and 1 μM αLA had 2.5- and 2.0-fold greater IGF-I mRNA levels, respectively, than cells from implanted steers that were not exposed to αLA (P < 0.05). Administration of a Revalor-S implant increased circulating IGF-I and local muscle IGF-I mRNA concentrations in finishing cattle. However, muscle IGF-I mRNA levels were decreased by flax supplementation. Muscle cell culture experiments suggested that αLA was not responsible for the IGF-I mRNA down-regulation.