Arginine is a substrate for protein synthesis and can modulate cellular biochemical functions via the conversion to a number of biologically active compounds. Arginine also palys the important roles in the modulation of immune function, wound healing, hormone secretion, vascular tone, insulin sensitivity, and etc.

Professor Yin Yulong, director of the Animal Nutrition and Health Center, has been studying the physiological function of arginine for many years. His research team has found that arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that is required during periods of maximal growth and severe stress, and arginine deficiency is a growth-limiting factor in young pigs. They have conducted a series of experiments in order to study the effects of AAA as a substitute of Arg on growth performance and health using early-weaned piglets. The results showed that Arg or AAA (Arginine activator additive) inclusion in the diets decreased the incidence of diarrhea by 18% for the weaned piglets. The AAA significantly increased the endogenous synthesis of Arg. The results also indicated that dietary supplementation with Arg or AAA enhanced the intestinal growth and HSP70 expression, prevented the intestinal dysfunction, and alleviated the weaning stress. Thus, Arg or AAA could be used as a functional additive in the diets of weaning piglets to improve their growth performance as well as gut health.

Based on the results, the Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Chinese Academy of Sciences has produced the functional amino acid AAA successfully.