Diurnal variations and effects of fasting on blood constituents in minipigs

We examined the diurnal variations and the effects of 48-hour fasting on hematological and serum biochemical values to obtain basic physiological data on ten male and seven female Göttingen minipigs 6 to 16 months of age. For all hematological parameters examined (RBC, HCT, HGB, WBC and PLT), there was no diurnal variation in either sex, but red blood cell parameters were affected by fasting, with an increase in males and a decrease in females. Three serum biochemical parameters (GOT, UN and i.p.) for males and four (GOT, UN, Ca and i.p.) for females exhibited diurnal variation. These variations were eliminated by fasting. The BIL level in males was increased by fasting, and the color of serum was yellowish. Fe concentration in both sexes and CRE and Mg levels in males were decreased by fasting. These findings are basic data for various experiments on minipigs, and indicate that great care is required in establishing feeding times and fasting intervals and in the analysis of results of experiments on minipigs.