Antimicrobial supplementation of growing pigs: the effect of porcine sera fractions on in vitro muscle cell proliferation.

Sera obtained from pigs before and after subtherapeutic levels of ASP250 supplementation (pre and post serum pools) have been subjected to comparative fractionation by using gel filtration and affinity chromatography on immobilized Cibacron Blue F3G-A. Comparable serum fractions obtained from pre- and post-ASP250 blood sera were assayed in muscle cell culture bioassays designed to measure their effect on proliferation. Pre- and post-ASP250 sera were subjected to gel filtration and divided into the following fractions: fraction 1, Kav less than .17; fraction 2, Kav = .17 to .41; fraction 3, Kav = .41 to .59. Post-ASP250 fractions 2 and 3 increased proliferation rate in cultured muscle cells to a greater extent than comparable pre-ASP250 fractions (P less than .001). Chromatography of fraction 3 on immobilized Cibacron Blue F3G-A showed that both pre- and post-ASP250 fraction 3 contained a putative inhibitor of myogenic cell proliferation as well as mitogenic factors. However, negative growth factor activity was greater in pre-ASP250 fraction 3 than in post-ASP250 fraction 3 (P less than .05). Additionally, positive growth factor activity was lower in pre-ASP250 fraction 3 than in post-ASP250 fraction 3 (P less than .05). These data suggest that levels and(or) activities of both positive and negative muscle growth factors in serum may be altered by the addition of antimicrobials to the diets of growing pigs.