Effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid supplementation during late gestation on colostrum yield, fatty acid composition, and IgG concentrations in primiparous sows

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation during late gestation on reproductive performance, colostrum yield, colostral fatty acid composition, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations in primiparous sows. Twenty-four primiparous Landrace × Large White pregnant sows were randomly selected and assigned to four dietary treatments: 0% (control), 0.75%, 1.50%, and 2.25% CLA supplementation from day 85 of gestation to parturition. During lactation, all sows were fed the same commercial diet. The preweaning mortality of suckling piglets born to dams fed supplemental CLA did decrease linearly (P = 0.01) during lactation. Administration of CLA during gestation increased linearly (P < 0.01) total saturated fatty acids and decreased linearly (P < 0.01) monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in colostrum. The concentrations of CLA isomers were higher (P < 0.01) in colostrum from primiparous sows fed CLA diets than in the control group. Feeding CLA increased (P < 0.05) colostral IgG concentrations, as well as that in the serum of neonatal piglets. In conclusion, 2.25% CLA supplementation in the diet of primiparous sows during late gestation could improve the passive immunity through colostral IgG and the survival of suckling piglets.

Feeding Conjugated Linoleic Acid without a Combination of Medium-Chain Fatty Acids during Late Gestation and Lactation Improves Pre-Weaning Survival Rates of Gilt and Sow Progeny

“…In agreement with Hadaš et al [42] and Liu et al [36], liveborn mortality in the current study tended to be lower for piglets born to dams fed the CLA diet. However, Lee et al [35] found no effect, and Barowicz et al [43] and Krogh et al [37] actually found higher mortality rates in piglets born to sows fed CLA.…”

“…Piglet IgG concentrations were not measured at or after weaning in the current study, and as such, it is unclear whether improvements in immune status may have been gained later in life. Liu et al [36] found an improvement in progeny serum IgG concentration in the first 24 to 26 hours of life, but this was only in piglets from the highest CLA inclusion level treatment (2.25% CLA oil). They also found an increase in colostrum IgG concentrations at only the higher inclusion levels (> 1.5% CLA), whereas we found no difference at 0.5% CLA.…”

“…The finding that SB was higher in CLA-fed sows compared to CON sows—and that NBA was lower in CLA-fed primiparous sows than those primiparous sows on the other dietary treatments—was surprising, as most previous studies found no difference [8,42], and some even suggested that CLA increased NBA [5,43]. In addition, Liu et al [36] found that feeding CLA had no effect on farrowing duration in primiparous sows, which suggests that increased farrowing difficulty was not the reason for higher SB or lower NBA in the current study. These differences may be due to inconsistencies between methodology, as there are variations between these studies in time period (e.g., first week, 21, 28, or 35 day lactations), inclusion level of CLA (ranging from 1 to 2.25% CLA product), and (or) average parity of the experimental sows (e.g., primiparous sows only, parities 2-5, 1-3, or 3-4).…”

Long term conjugated linoleic acid supplementation modestly improved growth performance but induced testicular tissue apoptosis and reduced sperm quality in male rabbit

“…In the current study dietary supplementation of CLA for 26 weeks (from weaning till puberty) slightly increased feed intake and body weight similar to previous finding [40]. However, other studies detected opposite effect of CLA on body weight and feed intake [41] or no effect [36,42]. Additionally, longitudinal studies of CLA supplementation revealed also different effects of CLA on body weight and body weight gain, some researchers detected body weight re-gain after supplementation of CLA [43,44], and other researchers observed body weight loss [45,46].…”

Importance of Selected Nutrients and Additives in the Feed of Pregnant Sows for the Survival of Newborn Piglets

“…This suggests that piglets can benefit from polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in the sow's diet during gestation in two ways: (1) prenatally, when developing embryos have access to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); and (2) postpartum, when litters consume colostrum and milk with high concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA [33]. The work by Liu et al [34], mentioned earlier, found that supplementing the sow's diet with 2.5% conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) from day 85 of gestation causes a significant increase (p < 0.05) in colostral immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations, and can increase litter weight linearly (p < 0.05) and litter size at day 21 of lactation, while causing a linear (p = 0.01) decrease in pre-weaning mortality. One mechanism through which LC-PUFA may influence the growth and survival of neonates is by enhancing the immune system.…”