Maternal Methyl-Donor Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy Promotes Skeletal Muscle Differentiation and Maturity in Newborn and Weaning Pigs

Abstract

Adequate maternal methyl-donor micronutrient (MET) intake is an important determinant of the organ development and metabolic renovation of offspring. The mechanism involved in skeletal myogenesis and the effect of MET supplementation during pregnancy on the maternal body remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the potential effect of methyl donor micronutrients (MET) on skeletal muscle development and metabolism in offspring using pig models. Forty-three Duroc × Erhualian gilts were assigned to two dietary groups during gestation: control diet (CON) and CON diet supplemented with MET (folic acid, methionine, choline, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12). The results showed that maternal MET exposure during pregnancy significantly increased the concentrations of protein, triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) in colostrum and methyl metabolites, including S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH), 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), and betaine, in the maternal and offspring umbilical vein serum. A similar pattern was demonstrated in the body weight gain and myofiber diameters in offspring. In addition, maternal MET supplementation significantly increased the concentration of offspring serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), T3, and T4; upregulated the mRNA expression of IGF-1 and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1r) and the phosphorylation level of protein kinases in offspring longissimus dorsi muscle; and upregulated the expression of myogenic genes and fast myosin heavy chain (fast MyHC) in offspring skeletal muscle. Supplementing sows with higher levels of MET during gestation may promote skeletal muscle differentiation and maturity and improve the skeletal muscle mass of the piglets.

Methyl-Donor Micronutrient for Gestating Sows: Effects on Gut Microbiota and Metabolome in Offspring Piglets

“…In a previous study, we found no differences in reproductive performance of sows between CON and MET; however, we observed that the offspring of sows fed with the MET diet grew faster than control offspring, and maternal MET exposure can promote skeletal muscle differentiation and maturity and improve the skeletal muscle mass of weaning piglets (14). Previous research reports the intestinal tract of the monogastric animal plays a crucial role in nutrient digestion and absorption and maintains the barrier function against malignant pathogens and antigens (20).…”

“… Effect of maternal methyl-donor micronutrient supplementation during gestation on birth weight and weaning weight of offspring piglets ( n = 21). No difference was observed for litter size of lactating sows between treatments [data not shown, see reference ( 14 )]. The litter of each sow was considered as the experimental unit to calculate the individual weight of piglets at birth and weanling.…”

“…The maternal metabolic status during gestation exerts a significant influence on the infant microbiota at the beginning of life ( 63 ). Maternal MET exposure can alter serum one-carbon metabolism of sows ( 14 ) and offspring. One-carbon metabolism participates in the synthesis of nucleotides, proteins, and lipids by integrating glucose, amino acid status, and vitamins in suckling piglets ( 8 ).…”

“…In our previous study, we found no differences in the reproduction performance of sows between CON and MET (number of total born, born alive, and weaned piglets per litter, etc.). However, maternal MET supplementation during pregnancy promotes skeletal muscle differentiation and maturity in newborn and weaning pigs and improves the growth performance of the offspring ( 14 ). This means that some changes in the suckling piglets may be important for growth and development.…”

How Does Protein Nutrition Affect the Epigenetic Changes in Pig? A Review

“…In pigs, studies are not as extensive; however, a similar effect of betaine on DNA methylation in piglets has been demonstrated [ 134 ]. Recently, He et al (2020) studied the effect of methyl donors, such as folate, choline, and methionine supplementation in pregnant sows, and the results showed an increase of proteins of one-carbon-unit metabolism in females and piglets, and skeletal muscle differentiation increase in piglets, probably regulated by epigenetic modifications [ 135 ]. However, since, in this study, the supplementation was performed with all the methyl group donors simultaneously, the effect of each of them in pigs remains to be discovered.…”