Lipogenic activity in Rasa Aragonesa ewes of different body condition score

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of body condition score on tissue and metabolic characteristics of the adipose depots in sheep of Rasa Aragonesa breed. Ewes were uniformly assigned according to their body condition score (BCS) (scale 0 to 5), to four groups: 0.75–1.75, 2–2.75, 3–3.75, and 4–4.5. The amount of fat and the adipocyte size in the different adipose depots increased as BCS did (P < 0.001) while the number of adipocytes did not change. The greatest ability to accumulate or mobilize fat was the subcutaneous depot (slope of the regression between amount of fat and BCS, b = 1.92; P < 0.001). Fatty acid synthase (FAS) lipogenic enzyme activity was affected by BCS, while G3-PDH and G6-PDH activities were not. Key words: Adipose tissue, body condition score, adipocyte size, lipogenic enzyme activity, ewes