Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T12:59:37.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Responses to n-3 fatty acid (LCPUFA) supplementation of gestating gilts, and lactating and weaned sows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2012

M. N. Smit ,
J. L. Patterson ,
S. K. Webel ,
J. D. Spencer ,
A. C. Cameron ,
M. K. Dyck ,
W. T. Dixon  and
G. R. Foxcroft
M. N. Smit*
Affiliation:
Swine Reproduction – Development Program, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
J. L. Patterson
Affiliation:
Swine Reproduction – Development Program, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
S. K. Webel
Affiliation:
JBS United Inc., Sheridan, IN 46069, USA
J. D. Spencer
Affiliation:
JBS United Inc., Sheridan, IN 46069, USA
A. C. Cameron
Affiliation:
Swine Reproduction – Development Program, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
M. K. Dyck
Affiliation:
Swine Reproduction – Development Program, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
W. T. Dixon
Affiliation:
Swine Reproduction – Development Program, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
G. R. Foxcroft
Affiliation:
Swine Reproduction – Development Program, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
*
†E-mail: mnsmit@ualberta.ca
Get access

Abstract

Feeding n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) to gilts or sows has shown different responses to litter growth, pre-weaning mortality and subsequent reproductive performance of the sow. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) that feeding a marine oil-based supplement rich in protected n-3 LCPUFAs to gilts in established gestation would improve the growth performance of their litters; and (2) that continued feeding of the supplement during lactation and after weaning would offset the negative effects of lactational catabolism induced, using an established experimental model involving feed restriction of lactating primiparous sows. A total of 117 primiparous sows were pair-matched at day 60 of gestation by weight, and when possible, litter of origin, and were allocated to be either control sows (CON) fed standard gestation and lactation diets, or treated sows (LCPUFA) fed the standard diets supplemented with 84 g/day of a n-3 LCPUFA rich supplement, from day 60 of first gestation, through a 21-day lactation, and until euthanasia at day 30 of their second gestation. All sows were feed restricted during the last 7 days of lactation to induce catabolism, providing a background challenge against which to determine beneficial effects of n-3 LCPUFA supplementation on subsequent reproduction. In the absence of an effect on litter size or birth weight, n-3 LCPUFA tended to improve piglet BW gain from birth until 34 days after weaning (P = 0.06), while increasing pre-weaning mortality (P = 0.05). It did not affect energy utilization by the sow during lactation, thus not improving the catabolic state of the sows. Supplementation from weaning until day 30 of second gestation did not have an effect on embryonic weight, ovulation rate or early embryonic survival, but did increase corpora lutea (CL) weight (P = 0.001). Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were increased in sow serum and CL (P < 0.001), whereas only DHA levels increased in embryos (P < 0.01). In conclusion, feeding n-3 LCPUFA to gilts tended to improve litter growth, but did not have an effect on overall subsequent reproductive performance.

Keywords

fatty acidsgiltsowgrowthreproduction
Type
Physiology and functional biology of systems
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 5 , May 2013 , pp. 784 - 792
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amusquivar, E, Laws, J, Clarke, L, Herrera, E 2010. Fatty acid composition of the maternal diet during the first or the second half of gestation influences the fatty acid composition of sows’ milk and plasma, and plasma of their piglets. Lipids 45, 409–418.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergsma, R, Kanis, E, Verstegen, MWA, Van der Peet-Schwering, CMC, Knol, EF 2009. Lactation efficiency as a result of body composition dynamics and feed intake in sows. Livestock Science 125, 208–222.Google Scholar
Brazle, AE, Johnson, BJ, Webel, SK, Rathbun, TJ, Davis, DL 2009. Omega-3 fatty acids in the gravid pig uterus as affected by maternal supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids. Journal of Animal Science 87, 994–1002.Google Scholar
Edwards, SA, Pike, IH 1997. Effects of fishmeal on sow reproductive performance. Proceedings of the British Socity of Animal Science Annual Meeting, BSAS, Penicuik, UK, 55pp.Google Scholar
Estienne, MJ, Harper, AF, Estienne, CE 2006. Effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on some reproductive characteristics in gilts. Reproductive Biology 6, 231–241.Google Scholar
Fritsche, KL, Johnston, PV 1988. Rapid autoxidation of fish oil in diets without added antioxidants. Journal of Nutrition 118, 425–426.Google Scholar
Fritsche, KL, Huang, S-C, Cassity, NA 1993. Enrichment of omega-3 fatty acids in suckling pigs by maternal dietary fish oil supplementation. Journal of Animal Science 71, 1841–1847.Google Scholar
Gabler, NK, Spencer, JD, Webel, DM, Spurlock, ME 2007. In utero and postnatal exposure to long chain (n-3) PUFA enhances intestinal glucose absorption and energy stores in weanling pigs. The Journal of Nutrition 137, 2351–2358.Google Scholar
Gabler, NK, Radcliffe, JS, Spencer, JD, Webel, DM, Spurlock, ME 2009. Feeding long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids during gestation increases intestinal glucose absorption potentially via the acute activation of AMPK. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 20, 17–25.Google Scholar
Innis, SM 2007. Dietary (n-3) fatty acids and brain development. The Journal of Nutrition 137, 855–859.Google Scholar
Jump, DB, Clarke, SD 1999. Regulation of gene expression by dietary fat. Annual Review of Nutrition 19, 63–90.Google Scholar
Kitajka, K, Sinclair, AJ, Weisinger, RS, Weisinger, HS, Mathai, M, Jayasooriya, AP, Halver, JE, Puskas, LG 2004. Effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on brain gene expression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 101, 10931–10936.Google Scholar
Leonard, SG, Sweeney, T, Bahar, B, Lynch, BP, O'Doherty, JV 2011. Effect of dietary seaweed extracts and fish oil supplementation in sows on performance, intestinal microflora, intestinal morphology, volatile fatty acid concentrations and immune status of weaned pigs. British Journal of Nutrition 105, 549–560.Google Scholar
Leskanich, CO, Noble, RC 1999. The comparative roles of polyunsaturated fatty acids in pig neonatal development. British Journal of Nutrition 81, 87–106.Google Scholar
Mao, J, Foxcroft, GR 1998. Progesterone therapy during early pregnancy and embryonal survival in primiparous weaned sows. Journal of Animal Science 76, 1922–1928.Google Scholar
Mateo, RD, Carroll, JA, Hyun, Y, Smith, S, Kim, SW 2009. Effect of dietary supplementation of n-3 fatty acids and elevated concentrations of dietary protein on the performance of sows. Journal of Animal Science 87, 948–959.Google Scholar
McEntee, WJ, Crook, TJ 1991. Serotonin, memory and the aging brain. Psychopharmacology 103, 143–149.Google Scholar
Missotten, J, De Smet, S, Raes, K, Doran, O 2009. Effect of supplementation of the maternal diet with fish oil or linseed oil on fatty-acid composition and expression of Δ5- and Δ6-desaturase in tissues of female piglets. Animal 3, 1196–1204.Google Scholar
Ng, K-F, Innis, SM 2003. Behavioural responses are altered in piglets with decreased frontal cortex docosahexaenoic acid. Journal of Nutrition 133, 3222–3227.Google Scholar
Patterson, JL, Smit, MN, Novak, S, Wellen, AP, Foxcroft, GR 2011. Restricted feed intake in lactating primiparous sows. I. Effects on sow metabolic state and subsequent reproductive performance. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 23, 889–898.Google Scholar
Rooke, JA, Shanks, M, Edwards, SA 2000. Effect of offering maize, linseed or tuna oils throughout pregnancy and lactation on sow and piglet tissue composition and piglet performance. Animal Science 71, 289–299.Google Scholar
Rooke, JA, Sinclair, AG, Edwards, SA, Cordoba, R, Pkiyach, S, Penny, PC, Penny, P, Finch, AM, Horgan, GW 2001a. The effect of feeding salmon oil to sows throughout pregnancy on pre-weaning mortality of piglets. Animal Science 73, 489–500.Google Scholar
Rooke, JA, Sinclair, AG, Edwards, SA 2001b. Feeding tuna oil to the sow at different times during pregnancy has different effects on piglet long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid composition at birth and subsequent growth. British Journal of Nutrition 86, 21–30.Google Scholar
Rooke, JA, Sinclair, AG, Ewen, M 2001c. Changes in piglet tissue composition at birth in response to increasing maternal intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are non-linear. British Journal of Nutrition 86, 461–470.Google Scholar
Smits, RJ, Luxford, BG, Mitchell, M, Nottle, MB 2011. Sow litter size is increased in the subsequent parity when lactating sows are fed diets containing n-3 fatty acids from fish oil. Journal of Animal Science 89, 2731–2738.Google Scholar
Spencer, JD, Wilson, L, Webel, SK, Moser, RC, Webel, DM 2004. Effect of feeding protected n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Fertilium™) on litter size in gilts. Journal of Animal Science 82 (suppl. 2), 81.Google Scholar
Taugbol, O, Framstad, T, Saarem, K 1993. Supplements of cod liver oil to lactating sows. Influence on milk fatty acid composition and growth performance of piglets. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series A 40, 437–443.Google Scholar
Webel, SK, Otto-Tice, ER, Moser, RL, Orr, DE 2004. Effect of feeding duration of protected n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (Fertilium™) on litter size and embryo survival in sows. Journal of Animal Science 82 (suppl. 1), 212.Google Scholar
Webel, SK, Otto, ER, Webel, DM, Moser, RL, Spencer, JD, Orr, DE 2003. Effect of protected n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Fertilium™) on litter size in sows. Journal of Animal Science 81 (suppl. 1), 18.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Smit Supplementary Material

Tables 1-7

Download Smit Supplementary Material(File)
File 172.5 KB