Dietary Supplementation with 0.8% L-Arginine between Days 0 and 25 of Gestation Reduces Litter Size in Gilts

Abstract

In this study, we determined the effects of L-arginine supplementation during early pregnancy on embryonic/fetal survival and growth in gilts. Gilts were housed individually in pens and fed twice daily 1 kg of a corn- and soybean meal-based diet supplemented with 0.0, 0.4, or 0.8% L-arginine (wt:wt) between d 0 and 25 of gestation (10 gilts/treatment). The diets were made isonitrogenous by addition of appropriate amounts of L-alanine. At d 25 of gestation, gilts were fed L-alanine or L-arginine and hysterectomized 30 min later to obtain uteri and conceptuses (embryos and associated fetal membranes and fluids). Dietary supplementation with 0.4 or 0.8% L-arginine enhanced (P < 0.05) its concentrations in maternal plasma (64 and 98%, respectively) as well as the vascularity of chorionic and allantoic membranes, compared with the control group. Reproductive performance [numbers of corpora lutea (CL) and fetuses, placental and fetal weights, and embryonic mortality] did not differ between the 0.4% Arg and control groups. However, supplementation with 0.8% L-arginine decreased (P < 0.05) uterine weight (-20%), total number of fetuses (-24%), CL number (-17%), total fetal weight (-34%), total volume of allantoic and amniotic fluids (-34 to 42%), concentrations of progesterone in maternal plasma (-33%), as well as total amounts of progesterone (-35%), estrone (-40%), and estrone sulfate (-37%) in allantoic fluid, compared with the control group. These results indicate that dietary supplementation with 0.8% L-arginine between d 0 and 25 of gestation, while increasing placental vascularity, adversely affects the reproductive performance of gilts.

Putrescine Stimulates the mTOR Signaling Pathway and Protein Synthesis in Porcine Trophectoderm Cells1

“…Moreover, spermidine and spermine at elevated levels have also been reported to be cytotoxic metabolites [39]. This may explain, in part, why excessive amounts of Arg in the maternal diet actually reduce placental growth in gestating swine [40]. Based on our study, an optimal extracellular concentration of putrescine to stimulate pTr2 cell proliferation appears to be 25 lM.…”

Dietary l-arginine supplementation enhances placental growth and reproductive performance in sows

“…Dietary supplementation of certain nutrients could enhance litter size and fetal growth in swine, such as chromium, L-carnitine, omegafatty acid, lysine, and L-arginine (Mateo et al , 2009Real et al 2008;Farmer and Petit 2009;Yang et al 2009). Among these studies, strategic arginine supplementation to improve pregnancy outcomes has been recognized as a major advance in nutrition research (Bérard and Bee 2010;Li et al 2010;Mateo et al 2007;Wu et al 2010). …”

Toxic Effects of Maternal Zearalenone Exposure on Uterine Capacity and Fetal Development in Gestation Rats

“…23 Embryonic loss is a significant problem in a number of species (rats, sheep, horses, pigs, and humans) due to the maternal diet during the early gestational period. 24 This phenomenon is due to not only nutrition intake but also mycotoxin ingestion.…”