Figure 7
From: Early weaning and biological sex shape long-term immune and metabolic responses in pigs
Effects of early weaning, sex, and LPS challenge on plasma levels of cortisol, testosterone, and estradiol. Piglets were challenged with either LPS or saline at 10–11 weeks of age, and venous blood samples were taken at 0 h, 2 h, and 4 h post-challenge and plasma hormone levels were analyzed. N = 5–11 pigs per experimental group, consisting of early-weaned (EW) and later-weaned (LW) female (F), intact male (IM), and castrated male (CM) pigs. Data are presented as means ± SE. #P < 0.1, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.001 Statistics obtained via repeated-measures mixed-effects model with Bonferroni correction applied to planned comparisons. #P < 0.1, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. Subfigure (a) in each row: sex differences between LPS-treated groups. Colored arrowheads specify significant differences. Subfigures (b–d): wean age differences within LPS-treated groups. Brackets indicate comparisons between LPS-treated groups. Saline-treated groups are included for illustrative purposes. (A) Cortisol levels, (B) testosterone levels, (C) estradiol levels.
