Effects of meal intake on materno-foetal exchanges of energetic substrates in the pig

Catheters were implanted in 18 gilts at 99 days of pregnancy to study the effects of meal intake on uterine and umbilical uptake of energetic substrates in the conscious pig. Blood samples were withdrawn at 105 days of pregnancy from 10 min before and up to 90 min after feeding of a 2.5-kg meal. Plasma glucose was 2.2 to 2.5 times lower and blood lactate 2 to 3 times higher in the foetus than in the sow. Glucose and lactate increased after the meal. Their umbilical uptake a-mounted to 0.32 and 0.26 mmol-L-1, respectively. Fructose was found in large amounts in foetal plasma (4.3 mmol.L-1), but it did not seem to be metabolised by the foetus. Meal intake decreased plasma levels of FFA and glycerol in the sows, whereas they increased in the foetuses. A small FFA and glycerol umbilical uptake was recorded (14 and 6 mumol-L-1, respectively). Most features of the maternofoctal exchanges in the porcine species resemble those of other species, especially ruminants.