Adaptations to fasting in the American mink (Mustela vison): carbohydrate and lipid metabolism

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the actively wintering American mink Mustela vison is strictly dependent on continuous food availability or if it has evolved physiological adaptations to tolerate nutritional scarcity. Fifty farm-bred male minks were divided into a fed control group and four experimental groups fasted for 2, 3, 5 or 7 days. The rate of weight loss was several-fold higher (1.5-3.2% day−1) in the mink than recorded previously in larger carnivores utilizing passive wintering strategies. The minks remained normoglycaemic, although their liver glycogen stores and glucose-6-phosphatase activities decreased during fasting. Adipose tissue constituted approximately 36% of their body mass after 7 days of food deprivation. Intra-abdominal fat, especially retroperitoneal but also mesenteric adipose tissue, were the most important fat depots to be hydrolyzed, but the ability of the mink to utilize its body lipids during fasting may be limited. The increased liver size, hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation and increases in the activities of plasma aminotransferases indicated liver dysfunction. Food deprivation also affected the red blood cell indices, and the blood monocyte and lymphocyte counts decreased suggesting immunosuppression during fasting. The results of the present study suggest that the mink has not evolved sophisticated adaptations to wintertime fasting.