Maternal supply of a source of omega-3 fatty acids and methionine during late gestation on the offspring’s growth, metabolism, carcass characteristic, and liver’s mRNA expression in sheep

Abstract

The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of maternal supplementation with fatty acids (FA) and methionine (Met) during late gestation on offspring growth, energy metabolism, plasma resolvin (RvD1) concentration, carcass characteristics, and hepatic mRNA expression. Ewes (5 pens/treatment; 3 ewes/pen) blocked by body weight (BW) were assigned to one of four treatments from day 100 gestation until lambing. The treatments were: basal diet (NS) without FA or methionine supplementation; FA supplementation (FS; 1.01 % of Ca salts, containing n-3 FA); Met supplementation (MS; 0.1 % of rumen protected methionine); and FS and MS (FS-MS). At birth (d 0), ewes and lambs were placed in a common pen. On d 60 lambs were weaned, sorted by sex, blocked by BW, and placed on a common finishing diet for 54 days (FP). A lamb per pen was used for a glucose tolerance test (GTT) after the FP. Carcass characteristics were recorded on d 56. Lamb data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with repeated measurements when needed (SAS 9.4). At weaning, lambs born to MS or FS fed ewes were heavier than lambs born from FS-MS ewes (FS × MS × Time P = 0.02). A marginal significance FS × MS interaction (P = 0.09) was also observed on RvD1; lambs born to ewes in the NS and FS-MS treatments showed a lower RvD1 plasma concentration when compared to lambs born to FS or MS fed ewes. Lambs born to dams fed FA showed an increase (P = 0.05) in liver COX-2 mRNA relative expression. Lambs born to ewes supplemented with Met showed an increase (P = 0.03) in liver FABP4 mRNA expression. A FS × MS × Time interaction (P = 0.07) was observed in plasma glucose during the GTT; lambs born from FS ewes showed lower plasma glucose concentration than lambs born to Met supplemented ewes at 2 min after bolus administration. During the GTT, a marginal significant effect (P = 0.06) was observed for the lamb average insulin concentration due to maternal Met supplementation during late gestation, where these lambs had the lowest plasma concentration. Contrary to our hypothesis the interaction FA and Met supplementation during late gestation did not show a greater positive effect on offspring postnatal growth and metabolism. However, the individual supplementation of each nutrient has an effect on offspring development with a concomitant change in markers involved in the inflammatory response and energy metabolism.

Effect of supplementing lysins and methionine to low-protein diets on growth performance, hepatic antioxidant capacity, immune status, and glycolytic activity of tibetan sheep

“…At least in part, gene expression levels might parallel well with its corresponding function in mammals [44]. Dietary Met supplementation in sheep during late pregnancy improved the offspring development with a concomitant change in hepatic markers involved in the energy metabolism (i.e., FABPF, AlOX15 and COX-2) [45]. A similar result was found in sheep which were fed the Met diet increased the improve ewe performance and fetus development via modulating the expression of AHCY and ALOX5P of the liver in sheep [46].…”

Dousing the flame: reviewing the mechanisms of inflammatory programming during stress-induced intrauterine growth restriction and the potential for ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intervention

“…At harvest, these calves produced marginally larger carcasses and loin muscles with ∼10% greater marbling ( Marques et al, 2017 ). In sheep, maternal supplementation of ω-3 PUFA Ca 2+ salts for the final trimester of gestation had no adverse effects on dam or fetus and increased blood concentrations of EPA and DHA in the ewe by ∼40% and in the newborn lamb by ∼50% ( Coleman et al, 2018 ; Rosa Velazquez et al, 2020 ; Rosa-Velazquez et al, 2022 ). Greater fetal ω-3 PUFA availability appeared to be particularly beneficial to IUGR muscle and pancreatic islets.…”

Ácido linoleico conjugado y aceite de freiduría sobre la reproducción de ovejas en trópico mexicano

“…En efecto, la suplementación materna con ácidos grasos poliinsaturados omega-3 incrementó en ovejas el desarrollo de su progenie y disminuyó la sensibilidad a la insulina, lo cual fue asociado a un aumento de RvD1 (mediador lipídico con acción antiinflamatoria) al nacimiento. Estos resultados sugieren que corderos nacidos de madres que consumieron omega-3 durante el último tercio de gestación podrían tener la capacidad de lidiar mejor con procesos inflamatorios prolongados (perjudiciales), pudiendo usar esa energía extra para su desarrollo (Rosa-Velazquez et al, 2021;Rosa-Velazquez et al, 2022).…”