Effects of different selenium sources on sow reproductive performance and piglet development: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Selenium is an essential trace element for pig growth; generally, inorganic or organic selenium is used for dietary selenium supplementation. Newborn piglets obtain all nutrients from the sow; thus, the sow absorption rate of different selenium sources significantly affects sow reproductive performance and piglet development. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to provide insights into whether organic selenium is better than mineral selenium for improving sow reproductive performance and piglet development. The present study investigated the effects of different selenium sources in sow feed using articles published between June 1, 1980, and December 31, 2020, from four databases. In the meta-analysis, 19 articles (347 sows) from seven countries were included. It was shown that feeding organic selenium to sows during pregnancy significantly increased newborn piglet weight (P < 0.05), piglet weight at weaning (P < 0.05), litter weight at weaning (P < 0.01), selenium content in sow colostrum (P < 0.01), milk (P < 0.01) and serum (P < 0.01); and selenium content (P < 0.01) and glutathione peroxidase activity (P < 0.05) in piglet serum. However, it had no effect on the number of liveborn piglets and litter weight at birth. Owing to study heterogeneity (I 2 > 50%), we hypothesized that the sow breed or weaning age were the influencing factors. Publication bias and sensitivity analyses indicate that the present results are robust. Further research is needed to better understand how different selenium sources affect sow reproduction and piglet development.

Evaluation of selenium source on nursery pig growth performance, serum and tissue selenium concentrations, and serum antioxidant status

“…A similar result was reported in another study where growing pigs fed L-SeMet had the highest ( P < 0.05) tissue Se concentration, followed by Se yeast and then sodium selenite ( Falk et al, 2018 ). In a meta-analysis, Zhou et al (2021) observed that sows fed organic Se sources had 29% greater serum Se concentration than inorganic Se sources. However, we observed no evidence of difference in pigs fed Se yeast compared to sodium selenite.…”

“…Moreover, pigs have lower feed intake in commercial facilities compared to research facilities; thus, the magnitude of the bioavailability of Se sources may play a more important role in commercial facilities. In a meta-analysis, the authors observed that sows fed organic Se sources had 6.4% higher GSH-Px activity than inorganic Se sources ( Zhou et al, 2021 ). This consistent improvement may be because sows are under constant oxidative stress during gestation and lactation; therefore, the increase in tissue Se level from organic Se may benefit the antioxidant status and performance of the animals ( Zhou et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In a meta-analysis, the authors observed that sows fed organic Se sources had 6.4% higher GSH-Px activity than inorganic Se sources ( Zhou et al, 2021 ). This consistent improvement may be because sows are under constant oxidative stress during gestation and lactation; therefore, the increase in tissue Se level from organic Se may benefit the antioxidant status and performance of the animals ( Zhou et al, 2021 ). Selenium supplementation with OH-SeMet during the gestation period improved ( P < 0.05) litter weight gain, antioxidant status, and intestinal antioxidant capacity, and reduced ( P < 0.05) birth interval and inflammation level compared to sodium selenite ( Mou et al, 2020a , 2020b , 2021 ).…”

Organic selenium and vitamin E for gilts and sows bred in equatorial climate

“…In this sense, there are nutritional strategies that can attenuate the deleterious effects of thermal and oxidative stress in swine matrices of modern strains, with several studies having been carried out in recent years, focusing on substances with antioxidant capacity, such as selenium (Se) and vitamin E (Chen et al, 2016; Zhou, Xu, Liu, & Zhang, 2021).…”