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Prenatal development is mainly dependent on a close interrelation between nutritional supply use and regulation by hormones and growth factors. Mechanisms during early embryonic development are sensitive to manipulation through selected management strategies of the sow and modifications of this strategy may serve as a model for the examination of molecular and cellular events controlling early embryonic growth. The administration of growth hormone (GH) to pregnant sows affects the development of fetuses in a manner dependent on the gestational period of treatment, therefore suggesting that maternal GH plays a significant role in prenatal development. In addition, in well-fed and feed-restricted gilts, treatment with porcine somatotropin (pST) during early to mid-pregnancy promotes the growth of their placenta and/or fetuses. Due to an exponential increase in research exploring the role of ST in growth biology, collectively, these studies resulted in an unprecedented increase in our understanding of how ST affects growth of domestic animals. Thus, the main purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the remarkable biological effects that pST has on pig fetal growth.
