Responses to n-3 fatty acid (LCPUFA) supplementation of gestating gilts, and lactating and weaned sows

Abstract

Feeding n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) to gilts or sows has shown different responses to litter growth, pre-weaning mortality and subsequent reproductive performance of the sow. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) that feeding a marine oil-based supplement rich in protected n-3 LCPUFAs to gilts in established gestation would improve the growth performance of their litters; and (2) that continued feeding of the supplement during lactation and after weaning would offset the negative effects of lactational catabolism induced, using an established experimental model involving feed restriction of lactating primiparous sows. A total of 117 primiparous sows were pair-matched at day 60 of gestation by weight, and when possible, litter of origin, and were allocated to be either control sows (CON) fed standard gestation and lactation diets, or treated sows (LCPUFA) fed the standard diets supplemented with 84 g/day of a n-3 LCPUFA rich supplement, from day 60 of first gestation, through a 21-day lactation, and until euthanasia at day 30 of their second gestation. All sows were feed restricted during the last 7 days of lactation to induce catabolism, providing a background challenge against which to determine beneficial effects of n-3 LCPUFA supplementation on subsequent reproduction. In the absence of an effect on litter size or birth weight, n-3 LCPUFA tended to improve piglet BW gain from birth until 34 days after weaning ( P 5 0.06), while increasing pre-weaning mortality ( P 5 0.05). It did not affect energy utilization by the sow during lactation, thus not improving the catabolic state of the sows. Supplementation from weaning until day 30 of second gestation did not have an effect on embryonic weight, ovulation rate or early embryonic survival, but did increase corpora lutea (CL) weight ( P 5 0.001). Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were increased in sow serum and CL ( P , 0.001), whereas only DHA levels increased in embryos ( P , 0.01). In conclusion, feeding n-3 LCPUFA to gilts tended to improve litter growth, but did not have an effect on overall subsequent reproductive performance.

Effects of dietary enrichment with a marine oil-based n-3 LCPUFA supplement in sows with predicted birth weight phenotypes on growth performance and carcass quality of offspring

“…On the other hand, the number of stillborns seemed to be higher in mLCPUFA litters, although this was again not significant. As discussed by Smit et al (2013a), interpretation of effects of mLCPUFA treatment on survivability may be difficult due to confounding effects of gestation length and the use of induced farrowing, as was again the practice in the present trial. Although brain weight was not different between treatments (Smit et al, 2014), the DHA concentration in brain tissue was higher in stillborns from mLCPUFA-fed sows compared with controls, which is in agreement with other research (Rooke et al, 2000 and2001a), and was not surprising considering the importance of DHA for brain development (Innis, 2007).…”

“…on the effects of n-3 LCPUFA supplementation on pre-weaning mortality (Rooke et al, 2000 and2001b;Smit et al, 2013a). On the other hand, the number of stillborns seemed to be higher in mLCPUFA litters, although this was again not significant.…”

“…The tissue samples were kept frozen and ground with a mortar and pestle. Fatty acid analysis of all samples was performed as previously described for serum (Smit et al, 2013a). In short, a measured amount of sample (1 to 4 ml serum, 1 ml colostrum, 2 ml milk, 1.26 to 2.09 g brain, 1.95 to 3.57 g liver or 0.43 to 3.11 g Semitendinosus muscle) was used to extract lipids using methanol and chloroform in a 1 : 2 ratio.…”

“…However, before implementing a selective management strategy of only feeding mLCPUFA to sows with a predicted LBW phenotype, it was important to investigate whether mLCPUFA enrichment of the sow diet results in the same increase in growth rate in LBW litters, as seen when feeding the entire sow population. Based on the results reported by Smit et al (2013a), nutritional supplementation with mLCPUFA in gestation appeared to have the potential to help LBW pigs express more of their postnatal growth potential.…”

“…Considering the lower growth rate in low birth weight (LBW) litters found by Smit et al (2013b), and the increased growth potential of pigs born from gilts supplemented with n-3 LCPUFA (Smit et al, 2013a), it was suggested that feeding marine n-3 LCPUFA (mLCPUFA) to sows with a predicted LBW phenotype would increase the growth rate of their offspring. This would decrease the gap in growth rate between LBW and higher birth weight litters and the variation in BW at slaughter.…”