The impact of dietary supplementation of arginine during gestation in a commercial swine herd: I. Gilt reproductive performance

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Supplemental arginine (Arg) during gestation purportedly benefits fetal development. However, the benefits of a gestational Arg dietary strategy in commercial production are unclear. Therefore, the objectives of this study examined Arg supplementation during different gestational stages and the effects on gilt reproductive performance. Pubertal gilts (n = 548) were allocated into 4 treatment groups: Control (n = 143; 0% supplemental Arg) or 1 of 3 supplemental Arg (1% as fed) treatments: from 15 to 45 d of gestation (n = 138; Early-Arg); from 15 d of gestation until farrowing (n = 139; Full-Arg); or from 85 d of gestation until farrowing (n = 128; Late-Arg). At farrowing, the number of total born (TB), born alive (BA), stillborn piglets (SB), mummified fetuses (MM), and individual piglet birth weights (BiWt) were recorded. The wean-to-estrus interval (WEI) and subsequent sow reproductive performance (to third parity) were also monitored. No significant effect of supplemental Arg during any part of P0 gestation was observed for TB, BA, SB, or MM (P ≥ 0.29). Offspring BiWt and variation among individual piglet birth weights did not differ (P = 0.42 and 0.89, respectively) among treatment groups. Following weaning, the WEI was similar among treatments (average of 8.0 ± 0.8 d; P = 0.88). Litter performance over 3 parities revealed a decrease (P = 0.02) in BA for Early-Arg fed gilts compared with all other treatments, whereas TB and WEI were similar among treatments over 3 parities (P &amp;gt; 0.05). There was an increased proportion of sows with average size litters (12 to 16 TB) from the Full-Arg treatment sows (76.8% ± 3.7%) when compared with Control (58.7% ± 4.2%; P = 0.01); however, the proportion of sows with high (&amp;gt;16 TB) and low (&amp;lt;12 TB) litters was not different among treatments (P = 0.20). These results suggest that gestational Arg supplementation had a minimal impact on reproductive performance in first parity sows. These data underscore the complexity of AA supplementation and the need for continued research into understanding how and when utilizing a gestational dietary Arg strategy can optimize fetal development and sow performance.</jats:p>

The impact of dietary supplementation of arginine during gestation in a commercial swine herd: II. Offspring performance

“…All procedures involving animals were approved by the Iowa State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Breeding and sow assignment to maternal diets have been previously described (Hines et al, 2019). Briefly, commercial gilts (n = 548; PIC 1050, Hendersonville, TN) were selected for breeding with pooled semen (DNA 600 boars, Columbus, NE) and assigned to 1 of 4, stageof-gestation by diet treatments.…”

“…Farrowing housing, treatment distribution within farrowing room, feed administration, and litter characteristics are described in Hines et al (2019). Briefly, litter parameters and individual offspring (pig) characteristics were recorded within 24 h of birth, including number born alive (BA), number stillborn (SB), the number of mummified fetus, and individual birth weight (BiWt) of BA and SB pigs.…”

Impacts of Maternal Nutrition on Sow Performance and Potential Positive Effects on Piglet Performance

“…In this study, a Leu:Lys ratio of 2.65 was demonstrated to improve mean piglet birthweight by approximately 4%, and increased expression of amino acid transporters in the sow placenta in all groups provided additional dietary leucine [49]. These results could be attributed to the role of leucine in the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis and maternal-fetus nutrient transport [47,50,51] and the improved transportation of amino acids, fatty acids, and glucose across the placenta [40].…”

“…Despite this, there is still conflicting evidence on whether supplemental arginine has a significant impact on reproductive performance and offspring viability. For example, a study supplementing gilts with 1.0% of dietary arginine showed no improvements in litter outcomes or gilt retention and future reproductive performance [40]. Similarly, Quesnel et al [41] investigated the use of an L-arginine supplement at 0.77% of the diet the beginning of day 77 of gestation to farrowing, and there were no effects on sow or litter outcomes, aside from reduced within-litter variation in the sows' supplements with L-arginine.…”

A review of the amino acid metabolism in placental function response to fetal loss and low birth weight in pigs

“…Arginine was remodeled as a nutritionally essential amino acid for gestating pigs in the revised version of National Research Council (NRC, 2012). However, previous studies have also reported that dietary arginine showed no or little effect on litter size and could even impair the reproductive performance of gilts and sows [ 87 – 89 ], suggesting that the dose and duration of supplementation should be considered in dietary formulations. Moreover, these results underscore the importance of understanding the basic knowledge of reproductive biology, arginine biochemistry and nutrition to improve the reproductive performance of sows.…”