Certain hormones play important roles in modulating mammalian reproductive behaviour. Daidzein is a well-known isoflavonic phytoestrogen that possesses oestrogenic activity. This study was conducted to probe the effects of daidzein supplementation in gestation diets on the reproductive performance in sows. A total of 120 multiparous sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were randomly assigned to 2 groups ( n = 60) and fed either a base diet (control) or one containing 200 mg/kg daidzein during gestation. We discovered that daidzein supplementation significantly increased the total number of piglets born per litter and number of piglets born alive per litter ( P < 0.05), decreased the farrowing time ( P < 0.05) and increased the serum oestrogen and progesterone concentrations ( P < 0.05) at 35 d of gestation. Moreover, serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were higher in the daidzein-treated group than in the control group at 35 d of gestation ( P < 0.05). Daidzein increased the serum SOD activity and total anti-oxidative capacity (T-AOC) at 85 d of gestation ( P < 0.05). Interestingly, daidzein elevated the expression levels of the sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporter 1 ( SLC38A1 ) and insulin-like growth factor 1 ( IGF-1 ) genes in the placenta ( P < 0.05). These results suggest that daidzein ingestion could improve sow reproductive performance by changing serum hormones, elevating anti-oxidative capacity and up-regulating critical functional genes in the placenta.

No abstract