Metabolic profile and content of the connective tissues’ biopolymers in the blood serum of service boars at the different regime of reproductive loading

Abstract

It is necessary to carry out not only the evaluation of sexual activity of breeder boars and the quality of their sperm, but carefully investigate the metabolic status by laboratory methods during the medical examination. It helps to determine the optimal parameters for the implementation of the reproductive potential of the breeder boars. Biochemical methods of research can establish imbalance in metabolism, the nature and localization of cytolytic processes by the degree of enzymes activity in serum. However, in order to detect inflammatory or destructive changes in the connective tissue structures, in particular the musculoskeletal system, the most informative indexes will be biopolymers of the connective tissue – glycoproteins and proteoglycans. The results of a complex examination of clinically healthy breeder boars with different regime of their production use, which includes an extended set of biochemical tests with the determination of glycoprotein, chondroitin sulfate, total glycosaminoglycans and their fractions, are presented in this paper. It was found that the level of such parameters as the total protein and its fractions, urea, aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activity, and the MB fraction of creatine phosphokinase did not have any significant differences. For breeder boars that were used in reproductive events irregularly (group I), there was an indicative higher level of creatinine and glycosaminoglycans. In animals with regular use as the herd (group II), the level of creatinine and fractions of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) was lower, but there was an increasing in cholesterol, β-lipoproteins, and activity of total creatine phosphokinase. The probable difference in these indicators can be explained by the difference in the intensity of the energy metabolism processes in muscle tissue. Indeed, during long-term hard work of skeletal muscles, not only glycogen stores are used, but also the use of lipids is of great importance. In addition, the raising of cholesterol and β-lipoproteins may be due to their active involvement in the synthesis of steroid hormones. Increasing the activity of total creatine phosphokinase in blood serum of animals with the intensive use in technology probably is the evidence of severe physical activity and the development of destructive processes in muscle tissue (hyperenzymemia is detected in early stages of myopathy). The absence of the most inflammatory processes was evidenced by the unchanged level of serum glycoproteins, which are known as the acute phase tests. Differences in the parameters of the state of connective tissue were determined at the levels of general GAG, their I and III fractions (chondroitin-6-sulfate and heparan sulfate, respectively). In the first group of boars, there was a higher level of I fraction of GAG, that indicated a significant load on the joints' cartilages and the gradual development of destructive processes in them. About the III fraction of GAG, an increasing of their blood content could indicate the reaction of the vascular flow, changes in ventilation of the lungs, the course of anti-inflammatory processes in animals with the appearance of intense physical activity.