title: Dietary supplementation with L-arginine or N-carbamylglutamate enhances intestinal growth and heat shock protein-70 expression in weanling pigs fed a corn- and soybean meal-based diet.
abstract: This study determined effects of dietary supplementation with L-arginine (Arg) or N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) on intestinal health and growth in early-weaned pigs. Eighty-four Landrace x Yorkshire pigs (average body weight of 5.56+/-0.07 kg; weaned at 21 days of age) were fed for 7 days one of the three isonitrogenous diets: (1) a corn- and soybean meal-based diet (CSM), (2) CSM+0.08% NCG (0.08%), and (3) CSM+0.6% Arg. There were four pens of pigs per diet (7 pigs/pen). At the end of a 7-day feeding period, six piglets were randomly selected from each treatment for tissue collections. Compared with the control group, Arg or NCG supplementation increased (P<0.05): (1) Arg concentrations in plasma, (2) small-intestinal growth, (3) villus height in duodenum, jejunum and ileum, (4) crypt depth in jejunum and ileum, (5) goblet cell counts in intestinal mucosae, and (6) whole-body weight gain in pigs. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses revealed that both mRNA and protein levels for heat shock protein-70 (HSP70) were higher (P<0.05) in the intestinal mucosae of Arg- or NCG-supplemented pigs than in the control group. Furthermore, the incidence of diarrhea in the NCG group was 18% lower (P<0.01) than that in the control group. Collectively, these results indicate that dietary supplementation with 0.6% Arg or 0.08% NCG enhances intestinal HSP70 gene expression, intestinal growth and integrity, and the availability of dietary nutrients for whole-body weight gain in postweaning pigs fed a CSM-based diet. Thus, Arg or NCG is a functional ingredient in the weaning diet to improve nutrition, health, and growth performance of these neonates.
authors.affiliation: Hunan Engineering and Research Center of Animal and Poultry Science, Key Laboratory for Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan, 410125, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Yunling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Xihong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Meimei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Yongqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Guoyao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005971:Glutamates / Q000378:metabolism*; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D013025:Glycine max / Q000737:chemistry; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D014886:Weaning; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C006895:N-carbamylglutamate; D001120:Arginine