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Effects of dietary l-arginine supplementation to gilts during early gestation on foetal survival, growth and myofiber formation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2010

J. Bérard  and
G. Bee
J. Bérard
Affiliation:
Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Research Station ALP, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland ETH Zurich, Institute of Animal Science, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
G. Bee*
Affiliation:
Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux, Research Station ALP, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland
*
†E-mail: giuseppe.bee@alp.admin.ch
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Abstract

The effects of l-arginine on porcine foetal development and myogenesis were determined. Twenty Swiss Large White gilts were randomly allocated to either the control (C) or l-arginine treatment (A). In addition to the standard gestation diet, A-sows received 26 g l-arginine daily from days 14 to 28 of gestation. At day 75 of pregnancy, sows were sacrificed and the number and weight of foetuses were recorded. From each litter, the lightest, heaviest and the ones with an average foetal weight (FtW) were selected. Primary (P), secondary (S) and total myofiber number as well as S/P ratio were determined in the semitendinosus (ST) and rhomboideus (RH) muscles. In A-sows, the number of viable foetuses (13.0 v. 9.3) and total FtW (4925 v. 3729 g) was greater (P ⩽ 0.04) than in C-sows. Compared to C-sow foetuses, the ST of A-sow foetuses had 7% more (17 699 v. 16 477; P = 0.04) P myofibers and the S/P ratio in both muscles was lower (ST = 20.3 v. 21.5; RH = 24.1 v. 27.1; P ⩽ 0.07). Regardless of the maternal diet, the S myofiber number and the S/P ratio in both muscles were greater (P ⩽ 0.01) in foetuses with a high FtW compared to low FtW. These data suggest that l-arginine supplemented to gilts during early gestation enhanced foetal survival and in the ST positively affected the primary phase of myofiber formation.

Keywords

argininefoetal survivalmyogenesispig
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 4 , Issue 10 , October 2010 , pp. 1680 - 1687
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2010

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