The effect of dietary asparagine supplementation on energy metabolism in liver of weaning pigs when challenged with lipopolysaccharide

Abstract

ObjectiveThis experiment was conducted to investigate whether asparagine (Asn) could improve liver energy status in weaning pigs when challenged with lipopolysaccharide.MethodsForty-eight weaned pigs (Duroc×Large White×Landrace, 8.12±0.56 kg) were assigned to four treatments: i) CTRL, piglets received a control diet and injected with sterile 0.9% NaCl solution; ii) lipopolysaccharide challenged control (LPSCC), piglets received the same control diet and injected with Escherichia coli LPS; iii) lipopolysaccharide (LPS)+0.5% Asn, piglets received a 0.5% Asn diet and injected with LPS; and iv) LPS+1.0% Asn, piglets received a 1.0% Asn diet and injected with LPS. All piglets were fed the experimental diets for 19 d. On d 20, the pigs were injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli LPS at 100 μg/kg body weights or the same volume of 0.9% NaCl solution based on the assigned treatments. Then the pigs were slaughtered at 4 h and 24 h after LPS or saline injection, and the liver samples were collected.ResultsAt 24 h after LPS challenge, dietary supplementation with 0.5% Asn increased ATP concentration (quadratic, p<0.05), and had a tendency to increase adenylate energy charges and reduce AMP/ATP ratio (quadratic, p<0.1) in liver. In addition, Asn increased the liver mRNA expression of pyruvate kinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase β (linear, p<0.05; quadratic, p<0.05), and had a tendency to increase the mRNA expression of hexokinase 2 (linear, p<0.1). Moreover, Asn increased liver phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK)/total AMP-activated protein kinase (tAMPK) ratio (linear, p<0.05; quadratic, p<0.05). However, at 4 h after LPS challenge, Asn supplementation had no effect on these parameters.ConclusionThe present study indicated that Asn could improve the energy metabolism in injured liver at the late stage of LPS challenge.

Dietary Beta‐Hydroxy Beta‐Methyl Butyrate Supplementation Alleviates Liver Injury in Lipopolysaccharide‐Challenged Piglets

“…Further evidence for a relationship between LPS challenge and liver injury comes from the findings of liver histopathological alterations, including infiltration of inflammatory leucocytes and karyolysis, karyopyknosis, vacuolation, and haemorrhage of hepatocytes. These results were consistent with other studies [2,8]. Interestingly, HMB decreased serum activities of ASAT and AKP and ameliorated LPS-induced heptatocyte caryolysis, karyopycnosis, and fibroblast proliferation.…”

“…As a key metabolic organ and a major site for detoxification in the body, the liver contributes importantly to protect body from bacteria and their toxic products, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) [1,2]. Consequently, it is of major health and scientific significance for animals and humans to maintain the liver health.…”

Dietary Tryptophan Supplementation Alters Fat and Glucose Metabolism in a Low-Birthweight Piglet Model

“…The complementary cDNA was synthesized by a thermoscycler (T100TM Thermal Cycler, Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA), and then a CFX96 real-time PCR detection system (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) was used to measure the mRNA abundance of the target genes through real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), followed by a melt curve, as previously described [38,49,50]. The primers used are shown in Supplemental Table S5 and were obtained from previous publications [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58]. β-actin was used as a housekeeping gene, and the relative mRNA abundance of the target genes was calculated by the 2 -∆∆CT method.…”

Discrimination of Lycium chinense and L. barbarum Based on Metabolite Analysis and Hepatoprotective Activity

“…The three most abundant AAs (asparagine, proline, and glutamine) in both species are known to possess liver-protective effects. The distribution of the three AAs varied greatly between the two species [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Additionally, the most abundant PAs (vanillic acid, p -coumaric acid, and ferulic acid) are known to have a hepatoprotective effect, and the three PAs also exhibited different distributions between the two species [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”