Effects Of Dietary Supplementation With L-arginine Or N-carbamylglutamate On Reproductive Performance And Blood Parameters Of Sows

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with L-arginine (L-Arg) or N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) on reproductive performance and blood parameters of sows. One hundred and twenty Yorkshire×Landrace multiparous sows (3 or 4 parities) were selected and randomly assigned into three dietary treatments including the control diet containing 1.7% alanine (n=40),0.1% NCG diet (n=40) and 1% L-Arg diet (n=40). Reproductive performance of sows and growth of milk-feed piglets were recorded. Plasma amino acids, total nitric oxide synthase(TNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitrogen monoxide(NO), urea and ammonia concentrations of sows were determined on 0,30,60,90 d of gestation, at farrowing and 21 d of lactation,also of piglets on 21 d of lactation. Results:1,Compared with the control group,1% L-Arg supplementation increased the number of pigs born alive by 1.15 (P<0.05) and live litter birth weight of piglets by 1.88 kg (P<0.05); 0.1% NCG supplementation increased the live litter birth weight of piglets by 1.39 kg (P<0.05); Average daily piglet gain at the first week, average daily piglet gain,average daily piglet gain, litter weanling weight and litter weight gain of the piglets in 1% L-Arg group and 0.1% NCG group were were significantly higher than those of the control group.Except for the litter weanling weight of 1% L-Arg group were significantly higher than those of 0.1% NCG group, other performance were no difference.2,Compared with the control group, plasma arginine and ornithine concentrations of the 1% L-Arg treated sows and plasma leucine, phenylalanine, citrulline and proline concentrations of the 0.1% NCG treated sows were significantly higher than those of the control group at 90 d of gestation (P<0.05); Concentrations of plasma isoleucine, leucine, proline, arginine and ornithin at farrowing and arginine and ornithin at 21 d of lactation of the 1% L-Arg treated sows were significantly higher than those of the control group; Concentrations of plasma arginine and ornithin at farrowing of the 0.1% NCG treated sows were significantly higher than those of the control group. All of the amino acid did not differ (P>0.05) between the 1% L-Arg group and 0.1% NCG group, except for the plasma proline concentrations of sows in the 0.1% NCG group which was significantly higher than those of 1% L-Arg group at 90 d of gestation (P<0.05), and plasma arginine concentrations at 30,60 and 90 d of gestation and plasma urea concentrations at 60 d of gestation of sows in the 0.1% NCG group were significantly lower than those of 1% L-Arg group (P<0.05). Concentrations of plasma alanine of the control group was gnificantly higher than those of the 1% L-Arg or 0.1% NCG treated sows at 30,60 and 90 d of gestation, and those of the 1% L-Arg treated sows at farrowing and 21 d of lactation.3,The sows in 1% L-Arg group and 0.1% NCG group had a higher NO concentrations than the control group (P<0.05) at 30,60 and 90 d of gestation; Plasma TNOS and iNOS concentrations of sows in the 0.1% NCG group were higher than those of control group (P<0.05) at 90 d of gestation, farrowing and 21 d of lactation; Plasma TNOS concentrations at 90 d of gestation and plasma TNOS and iNOS concentrations at farrowing and 21 d of lactation of sows in the 1% L-Arg group were higher than those of control group (P<0.05).4,Both of the sows in 1% L-Arg and 0.1% NCG groups had a lower plasma urea concentrations than the control group (P<0.05) at 60 d of gestation and 21 d of lactation, plasma urea concentrations of the sows in 0.1% NCG groups also lower than the control group at farrowing;Plasma ammonia concentrations of sows in the 1% L-Arg group were lower than those of control group (P<0.05) at 60,90 d of gestation and 21 d of lactation, and that in the 0.1% NCG group were lower than those of control group (P<0.05) at 90 d of gestation. Plasma ammonia concentrations of sows in the 0.1% NCG group which was significantly lower r than those of 1% L-Arg group at 60 d of gestation (P<0.05)5,Compared with the control group, in colostrum concentrations of valine, metione, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine and arginine of the 1% L-Arg treated sows and concentrations of serine, leucine, valine, metione, isoleucine, leucine, arginine and proline of the 0.1% NCG treated sows were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05); Concentrations of threonine, serine, isoleucine, leucine, arginine and proline in milk of the 1% L-Arg treated sows and concentrations of threonine, serine and proline in milk of the 0.1% NCG treated sows were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05).6,All of the piglets'blood parameters did not differ (P>0.05) between the three groups.Conclusion:(1) Dietary supplementation with L-Arg or NCG improved the plasma concentrations of some amino acids, decreased the concentrations of plasma urea and ammonia, and improved the reproductive performance of sows.(2) Dietary supplementation with L-Arg or NCG improved some of amino acid in sow' milk, enhanced the growth performance of sows nursing piglets.