SALBUTAMOL AFFECTS BODY COMPOSITION OF THE GUIEA PIG

Effects of salbutamol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, on body composition of guinea pigs were investigated. Thirty individually caged male guinea pigs were weighed and allotted to two groups. One group (n=20) was administered with salbutamol by tube, at 4 mg per kg BW per day (treatment group) once daily for 30 consecutive days, and the other group (n=10) served as control. Mean initial body weights of treatment and control groups were 403.5 and 430.3 g, respectively. A pelleted diet was fed ad libitum and daily orts were weighed for determination of daily feed consumption. The experiment was continued for 30 days. The guinea pigs were reweighed, anesthetized with ether, and blood samples were collected via heart puncture before slaughter (10 guinea pigs per group). Salbutamol treatment did not affect final body weight, mean daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio; however, the treatment group consumed less feed. Weights of carcass, skin, kidneys, lungs, testes and "longissimus muscle" were not different between the two groups. Heart weight was increased but liver weight was decreased with salbutamol treatment. Physically separated fat from several depots was significantly reduced in the salbutamol group. Carcass fat content was decreased but carcass protein content was increased in salbutamol fed guinea pigs. Carcass moisture content was not affected by treatment. Serum levels of lipase, glucose, cholesterol and triacyiglycerols were increased by salbutamol. Results of this experiment demonstrated that salbutamol affected carcass composition of guinea pigs in a manner similar to the activity of a number of beta-adrenergic agonists in several mammalian and avian species. The results also support the view that effects of beta-adrenergic agonists on carcass composition is a general property of these agents, and are applicable to a wider range of animal species.