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Table 2 Effects of gestational Se supply and nutritional plane on mammary gland weight, cellularity, cell proliferation, and vascularity when necropsied after d 20 of lactation

From: Mammary gland growth and vascularity at parturition and during lactation in primiparous ewes fed differing levels of selenium and nutritional plane during gestation

 

Se supply1

Nutritional plane2

P-value3

Item

ASe

HSe

SEM4

RES

CON

EXC

SEM5

Se

Nut

Se×Nut

Final BW, kg

55.9

57.3

1.3

48.5a

56.7b

64.6c

1.6

0.46

<0.001

0.56

Empty BW6, kg

45.9

47.73

1.25

39.1a

46.9b

54.4c

1.6

0.29

<0.001

0.31

Mammary gland, g

577.7

634.4

31.7

541.8

628.1

648.4

38.8

0.21

0.13

0.74

g/kg EBW7

12.6

13.5

0.8

14.0

13.4

11.7

0.9

0.42

0.19

0.78

DNA, mg/g

3.43

3.26

0.12

3.15

3.48

3.40

0.14

0.30

0.26

0.89

DNA, g

1.98

2.10

0.15

1.71a

2.23b

2.18b

0.18

0.54

0.09

0.96

RNA, mg/g

8.50

8.10

0.39

7.46

8.76

8.68

0.48

0.48

0.11

0.37

RNA, g

5.00

5.22

0.43

4.14a

5.59b

5.60b

0.52

0.71

0.09

0.69

RNA:DNA

2.49

2.49

0.09

2.39

2.52

2.56

0.11

0.99

0.53

0.13

Protein, mg/g

27.71

30.83

2.62

28.19

30.40

29.23

3.21

0.41

0.89

0.48

Protein, g

16.20

19.77

2.05

15.37

19.33

19.25

2.51

0.22

0.45

0.74

Protein:DNA

8.26

9.55

0.87

9.18

8.93

8.60

1.07

0.30

0.93

0.50

Proliferation, %

9.81

11.15

1.34

10.55

11.11

9.78

1.64

0.85

0.48

0.62

Vascular area, %

45.37

48.59

1.36

48.20

46.75

46.00

1.69

0.10

0.64

0.08

  ASe

--

--

--

48.01y

42.07z

46.03yz

2.48

   

  HSe

--

--

--

48.38y

51.42y

45.96yz

2.29

   

Alveoli per area7

0.54

0.52

0.03

0.45a

0.55b

0.59b

0.03

0.45

0.02

0.33

  1. a,b,c Within an item, main effect means differ (P ≤ 0.07).
  2. y,z Within an item, interactive means differ (P ≤ 0.09).
  3. 1Ewes fed 11.5 μg/kg BW Se (ASe) or 77.0 μg/kg BW Se (HSe) during gestation.
  4. 2Ewes fed 60% (RES), 100% (CON), or 140% (EXC) of nutrient requirements from d 40 of gestation to term.
  5. 3Probabilities of difference for Se supply (Se), nutritional plane (Nut), and the interaction (Se×Nut).
  6. 4Standard error means for ASe n = 21 and HSe n = 21.
  7. 5Standard error means for RES n = 14, CON n = 14, and EXC n = 14.
  8. 6Empty BW (EBW) = Final BW – digesta weight.
  9. 7Alveoli per area = (number of alveoli/total picture area) ×1,000.