Interactive effect of food deprivation and agonistic behavior on blood parameters and muscle glycogen in pigs

Agonistic behavior, neuroendocrine and plasma metabolite changes, and muscle glycogen content were studied in 16 fed and 16 24 h-fasted domestic Large White pigs (100 +/- 5 kg) submitted to dyadic encounters (30 min) in a novel environment. Comparisons were made with corresponding control pigs (eight fed and eight 24 h-fasted animals) kept under resting conditions. At rest, fasting resulted in a significant decrease in plasma insulin, increase in plasma-free fatty acids, and decrease in glycogen content in the predominantly red Semispinalis muscle. Fasted pigs displayed significantly more submissive acts than fed ones. In response to dyadic encounters, fed and fasted pigs showed similar rise in plasma levels of cortisol, catecholamines, and lactate, but stress-induced hyperglycemia was suppressed in food-deprived animals. Fasting enhanced stress-induced glycogen depletion in the predominantly white Longissimus muscle but this effect was significant only in fast-twitch glycolytic fibres (alpha W). In the Semispinalis of fasted pigs, however, dyadic encounters did not induce further glycogen depletion. The present findings suggest that in response to dyadic encounters, fasting-induced changes in glucose metabolism lead to a higher dependence on endogenous energy reserves, i.e., glycogen, in working muscles.