title: Dietary supplementation with 0.8% L-arginine between days 0 and 25 of gestation reduces litter size in gilts.
abstract: In this study, we determined the effects of L-arginine supplementation during early pregnancy on embryonic/fetal survival and growth in gilts. Gilts were housed individually in pens and fed twice daily 1 kg of a corn- and soybean meal-based diet supplemented with 0.0, 0.4, or 0.8% L-arginine (wt:wt) between d 0 and 25 of gestation (10 gilts/treatment). The diets were made isonitrogenous by addition of appropriate amounts of L-alanine. At d 25 of gestation, gilts were fed L-alanine or L-arginine and hysterectomized 30 min later to obtain uteri and conceptuses (embryos and associated fetal membranes and fluids). Dietary supplementation with 0.4 or 0.8% L-arginine enhanced (P < 0.05) its concentrations in maternal plasma (64 and 98%, respectively) as well as the vascularity of chorionic and allantoic membranes, compared with the control group. Reproductive performance [numbers of corpora lutea (CL) and fetuses, placental and fetal weights, and embryonic mortality] did not differ between the 0.4% Arg and control groups. However, supplementation with 0.8% L-arginine decreased (P < 0.05) uterine weight (-20%), total number of fetuses (-24%), CL number (-17%), total fetal weight (-34%), total volume 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 with the control group. These results indicate that dietary supplementation with 0.8% L-arginine between d 0 and 25 of gestation, while increasing placental vascularity, adversely affects the reproductive performance of gilts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Xilong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fuller W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Bazer
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Burghardt
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Erikson
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Izuru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shinzato
authors.forename: Guoyao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D001120:Arginine