Effect of beta-carotene and nucleotide base supplementation on blood composition and immune response in weaned pigs

Abstract

The effect of synthetic beta-carotene and synthetic nucleotide base on daily weight gain, feed consumption and certain haematological, biochemical and immunological parameters of piglets were studied in a 3-week experiment. Beginning one week prior to weaning, the diet fed to one experimental group of piglets was supplemented with 10% Rovimix Beta-carotene at 875 mg/kg of diet. Synthetic uracil and adenine (98%, Sigma-Aldrich) were mixed into the diet of the other experimental group at doses of 500 mg/kg of diet for each substance. The control group received the basic diet without any supplementation. The changes observed over time in the haematological parameters and in certain biochemical variables could be regarded as physiological. By day 21 of the experiment, beta-carotene supplementation had significantly lowered the neutrophilic granulocyte percentage and elevated the lymphocyte percentage, while in the other two groups a change of opposite tendency occurred. At the end of the experimental period there was a decrease in plasma vitamin E concentration due to carotene supplementation (control: 6.1 ± 1.5, nucleotide: 6.3 ± 2.5, carotene: 2.3 ± 1.5 mg/L). Lymphocyte blastogenesis induced by phytohaemagglutinin and concanavalin A increased by 50 and 130%, respectively, in the nucleotide group and by 60 and 30%, respectively, in the carotene group, while it did not change in the control group. The supplements exerted no positive effect on the in vivo cellular immune response.

Effects of diets supplemented with organic acids and nucleotides on growth, immune responses and digestive tract development in weaned pigs

“…The diets supplemented with nucleotides failed to affect the growth performance of weaned pigs. The results are not associated with the previous report by Zomborszky‐Kovacs et al. (2000).…”

“…The diets supplemented with nucleotides failed to affect the growth performance of weaned pigs. The results are not associated with the previous report by Zomborszky-Kovacs et al (2000). They have found that the diets supplemented with 0.5% nucleotide base increases the average feed intake and daily gain.…”

“…Numerous evidences have demonstrated that exogenous nucleotides increase the immune response to nucleotides‐free diets (Jyonouchi et al., 1994; Navarro et al., 1996; Yamamoto et al., 1997; Gil, 2002). In the weaned pigs, diets supplemented with 0.5% nucleotide base is also increased the PBMC proliferation induced by Con A and PHA (Zomborszky‐Kovacs et al., 2000). It is possible that the dosages of nucleotides used in this study are sufficient for affecting Ig levels and the effective elevation of lymphocyte proliferation needs to be combined with organic acids.…”

“…The nucleotides amount of de novo synthesis is insufficient to meet the requirement of gut (Uauy et al., 1994; Gil, 2002). Previous report has been demonstrated that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proliferation induced by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) reaches 50–130% via supplementing with nucleotides in the diet of weaned pigs (Zomborszky‐Kovacs et al., 2000). The diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg nucleotides has been proven to increase the morphological development of intestines (Domeneghini et al., 2004).…”

Supplemental nucleotides high in inosine 5′-monophosphate to improve the growth and health of nursery pigs1

“…These variations may relate directly to the type and levels of nucleotides supplemented in the diet. Zomborszky-Kovács et al (2000) found that supplementation of the synthetic nucleotide bases adenine and uracil at 0.5 g/kg to weanling pig diets improved growth performance. Sauer et al (2012) found that feeding a mixture of pure nucleotides (5′AMP, 5′CMP, 5′GMP, 5′IMP, and 5′UMP) to weanling pigs increased ADFI but did not improve gain or feed efficiency.…”