Impacts of dietary L-arginine supplementation during early gestation (d 0-25) on the reproductive performance of gilts Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • Between days 0 and 24 of gestation, 10 gilts per treatment were individually fed twice daily 1 kg of a corn and soybean mealbased diet supplemented with 0.0%, 0.4%, or 0.8% Larginine (Arg). The diets were made isonitrogenous by addition of appropriate amounts of Lalanine (Ala). At day 25 of gestation, 30 min after consumption of Ala or Arg, gilts were hysterectomized to obtain conceptuses. Supplementation with 0.4% or 0.8% Arg increased (P<0.05) concentrations of Arg in maternal plasma (64% and 98%, respectively) as well as the vascularity of chorionic and allantoic membranes, compared with the control group. Numbers of corpora lutea (CL) and fetuses, placental and fetal weights, and embryonic mortality did not differ (P>0.05) between the 0.4% Arg and control groups. However, supplementation with 0.8% Arg decreased (P<0.05) uterine weight (20%), total numbers of fetuses (24%) and CL (17%), total fetal weight (34%), total volumes of allantoic and amniotic fluids (34 to 42%), concentrations of progesterone in maternal plasma (33%) as well as total amounts of progesterone (35%), estrone (40%), and estrone sulfate (37%) in allantoic fluid, compared to the control group. Thus, supplementation with 0.8% Arg between days 0 and 25 of gestation, while enhancing placental vascularity, adversely affects the reproductive performance of gilts. Supported by USDA grants and TAMU Faculty of Nutrition.Grant Funding Source: USDA

published proceedings

  • FASEB JOURNAL

author list (cited authors)

  • Li, X., Bazer, F. W., Johnson, G. A., Burghardt, R. C., Erikson, D. W., Frank, J. W., ... Wu, G.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • Li, Xilong||Bazer, Fuller W||Johnson, Gregory A||Burghardt, Robert C||Erikson, David W||Frank, James W||Spencer, Thomas E||Shinzato, Izuru||Wu, Guoyao

publication date

  • April 2010

publisher