Table 7.
Histomorphometric shape and absorption surface parameters of the jejunum of male and female mink offspring, born from multiparous and primiparous dams, supplemented with HMB and/or AKG during the gestational period.
| Mother | Primiparous | Multiparous | SEM | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diet | C | HMB | AKG | HMB + AKG | C | HMB | AKG | HMB + AKG | |||||||||
| Sex | m | f | m | f | m | f | m | f | m | f | m | f | m | f | m | f | |
| The height of enterocytes (µm) | 49 | 61 a | 41 | 40b | 40 | 39 b | 38 | 24c | 36 | 27 c | 48 | 40 ab | 47 | 34 bc | 40 | 45 a | 1.1 |
| Villi height (µm) | 883 | 895 | 1012 | 840 | 1027 | 920 | 924 | 845 | 941 bc | 726 b | 1125 a | 967 a | 999 b | 986 a | 809 c | 706 b | 12.0 |
| Villi width (µm) | 82 | 80 a | 65 | 75b | 82 | 72 bc | 64 | 58 c | 75 | 73 | 82 | 69 | 81 | 81 | 71 | 76 | 1.8 |
| Crypts width (µm) | 34 | 42 a | 35 | 36b | 38 | 33 b | 34 | 32 b | 37 ab | 31 b | 40 a | 48 a | 26 c | 43 a | 33 b | 30 b | 0.6 |
| Crypts depth (µm) | 164.0 | 142.8 b | 178.0 | 184.5 a | 174.6 | 181.6 a | 169.7 | 168.1 ab | 163.0 c | 294.9 a | 202.6 b | 145.4 c | 315.3 a | 156.1 c | 152.5 c | 229.9 b | 4.1 |
| Villus/crypt ratio | 5.38 | 6.48 a | 5.79 | 4.67 b | 5.71 | 5.12 b | 5.64 | 5.08 b | 5.84 a | 2.40 b | 5.65 a | 6.57 a | 3.06 b | 6.36 a | 5.38 a | 3.19 b | 0.11 |
| Absorption surface (µm2) | 22.7 | 13.1 c | 27.0 | 20.4b | 24.3 | 24.9 ab | 24.6 | 25.4 a | 23.3 b | 20.5 | 25.6 ab | 19.2 | 29.2 a | 21.0 | 22.2 b | 19.6 | 0.4 |
Data are presented as means; SEM, standard error of the mean; m, male offspring; f, female offspring; C, control group; HMB, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate at a daily dose of 0.02 g/kg of body weight; AKG, alpha-ketoglutaric acid at a daily dose of 0.4 g/kg of body weight; n = 12 in each group; different superscript or subscript letters in rows relating to either the primiparous or multiparous dams refers to a significant difference between males in the various treatment groups or females in the various treatment groups, respectively; (p < 0.05).