This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of arsenic (As III ) on lipid peroxidation, glutathione content and antioxidant enzymes in growing pigs. Ninety-six Duroc-Landrace-Yorkshire crossbred growing pigs (48 barrows and 48 gilts, respectively) were randomly assigned to four groups and each group was randomly assigned to three pens (four barrows and four gilts). The four groups received the same corn-soybean basal diet which was supplemented with 0, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg As respectively. Arsenic was added to the diet in the form of As 2 O 3 . The experiment lasted for seventy-eight days after a seven-day adaptation period. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, glutathione (GSH) contents and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were analyzed in serum, livers and kidneys of pigs. The results showed that pigs treated with 30 mg As/kg diet had a decreased average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.05) and an increased feed/gain ratio (F/G) (p<0.05) compared to the controls. The levels of MDA significantly increased (p<0.05), and the contents of GSH and the activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST significantly decreased (p<0.05) in the pigs fed 30 mg As/kg diet. The results indicated that the mechanism of arsenic-induced oxidative stress in growing pigs involved lipid peroxidation, depletion of glutathione and decreased activities of some enzymes, such as SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST, which are associated with free radical metabolism.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary arsenic (As) levels on growth performance, serum biochemistry, and the retention of iron, copper, and zinc in tissues of growing and finishing pigs. Ninety-six crossbred pigs were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments. The corn-soybean basal diets were supplemented with 0, 10, 20, and 30 mg As/kg. Arsenic trioxide was used as the arsenic source. The feeding experiment lasted for 78 d. The results showed that the high arsenic diet decreased average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.05) and increased feed gain ratio (F/G) (p<0.05). Arsenic intake significantly increased (p<0.05) serum gamma-gultamyltransferase (GGT), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, and decreased (p<0.05) total protein, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and triglycerides. Glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) activity, albumin, and cholesterol were not affected (p>0.05). Arsenic feeding elevated (p<0.05) liver and kidney copper concentration, but reduced (p<0.05) copper concentration in heart, bile, and lymphaden of intestine mesentery. There were increases in iron levels in liver, bile, spleen, thymus, and pancreas in pigs fed the high As diets (p<0.05), but iron contents in kidney, heart, and serum were decreased by the arsenic treatment (p<0.05). Zinc concentrations were increased (p<0.05) in liver, kidney, and thymus of pigs with arsenic treatment, but decreased (p<0.05) in bile and lymphaden of intestine mesentery. This study suggested that high dietary As levels could alter serum biochemical parameters and the retention of copper, iron, and zinc in the viscera of growing and finishing pigs.

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