Fetoprotein and albumin levels in the blood serum of developing neonatal pigs

1. 1. Immunological precipitation in gel methods reveal that fetal proteins (α- and β-globulins) occur in blood sera of neonatal pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus) and in extracts of neonatal and fetal liver. 2. 2. Serum albumin concentration markedly increases after onset of colostrum ingestion, indicating absorption via the gut of the young. 3. 3. The dominant serum fetoprotein (an α-globulin) significantly increases during the first week after birth, which may depend upon continued synthesis or a release from liver cells. During the second and third weeks of neonatal development the serum levels gradually decrease. 4. 4. Colostrum components, such as albumin, may play a regulatory role.