Fetal growth, survival and development are benchmarks for the production performance of sows. Maternal dietary nutrients during pregnancy, especially during late pregnancy, have been found to improve the fetuses and support a higher fetal growth rate. Methionine has been shown to impact fetal protein mass and the transport of nutrients through the uteroplacental vasculature.

To validate the hypothesis that different levels of maternal dietary methionine can change antioxidant capacities and thus fetal growth and development during the late gestation period, researchers in the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences evaluated the effects of dietary methionine, administered during the late gestation period, on the production performance of sows.

In this study, thirty Landrace × Large White sows at day 90 of gestation were randomly assigned to three groups and fed the different levels of methionine (Con, 0.48% Met, 0.60% Met). The production performance, biochemical indicators, intestinal microbiota and plasma metabolites of sows were determined.

Researchers found that 0.48% Met group had improved the birth weight of piglets, lowered the triglyceride (TG) level, total bilirubin (BILT3) concentration, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) enzyme activity in the plasma of sow.

In addition, 0.48% Met group improved energy extraction and alleviated local inflammation by changing the microbial composition of the hosts’ intestinal bacteria.

What’s more, 0.48% Met group also altered the plasma metabolites, which might help to maintain the health of the pregnant sows during late gestation and parturition.

The findings developed a reference for dosages of methionine supplements given during late gestation to improve the production performance and maintain the health of sows.

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31772642, 31672457), the International Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (161343KYSB20160008), the Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department (2017NK2322, 2018TP1031), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M632963).

The study titled “Effects of different levels of methionine on sow health and plasma metabolomics during late gestation” was published in Food & Function. Details can be found at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/fo/c8fo01477a/unauth#!divAbstract
Contact: LIU Gang
E-mail: gangle.liu@gmail.com
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences