A mathematical model for the Zinc response of young pigs
Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:0297-zib-12191
- In a number of studies the feeding of pharmacological levels of Zinc to weanling pigs was examined. The publications agree in the fact that the achieved performance increase of the pigs depends on the amount of Zinc as well as on the type of mineral complex used as feed additive. The results are based on measurements of the animals' body weight and the Zinc concentration in the blood within the first two weeks of the experiments. From the measurement values, conclusions are drawn about adequate Zinc doses, but a deeper understanding of the physiological processes that influence the Zinc distribution in the organism is still missing. In this report, we want to close this gap by using a systems biology approach. We present a small mathematical model that describes the organic feedback mechanisms with the help of differential equations. The simulation results not only match with measurement values, but also give insight into non-measurable processes, which will hopefully contribute to animal experiments being organized in a more selective and reduced way.
Author: | Mascha Berg, Julia Ritter, Susanna RöblitzORCiD |
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Document Type: | ZIB-Report |
Tag: | |
MSC-Classification: | 92-XX BIOLOGY AND OTHER NATURAL SCIENCES / 92Cxx Physiological, cellular and medical topics / 92C30 Physiology (general) |
92-XX BIOLOGY AND OTHER NATURAL SCIENCES / 92Cxx Physiological, cellular and medical topics / 92C42 Systems biology, networks | |
Date of first Publication: | 2011/06/22 |
Series (Serial Number): | ZIB-Report (11-05) |
ZIB-Reportnumber: | 11-05 |