Most amino acids include asymmetric-carbon atoms and exhibit 2 stereoisomers: left-handed (L-forms) and right-handed (D-forms). D-Aspartate, a natural and endogenous amino acid, serves as a neurotransmitter and has been demonstrated to exhibit various physiological functions, including nutritional potential, regulation on reproduction and hormone biology, and neuron protection.

Gut microbiota regulates host metabolism and epidemics of chronic diseases, such as gut immune homeostasis and the intestinal immune response.

However, little is known about the effects of dietary D-and L- Aspartate on growth performance, gut microbiome.

Researchers in the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted to explore the effects of dietary D- and L-Aspartate on growth performance and gut microbiota in young pigs.

In their studies, young pigs were treated by D-Aspartate, L-Aspartate, and DL-Aspartate for 35 days .

The researchers found that D-Aspartate significantly inhibited growth performance.

In addition, L-Aspartate enhanced intestinal Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes abundances but decreased Firmicutes abundance at the phylum level.

In contrast, DL-Aspartate decreased intestinal Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes abundances and increased Firmicutes abundance. L-and DL-Aspartate reduced Escherichia-Shigella abundance, whereas D-Aspartate increased Escherichia-Shigella abundance at the genus level.

"Our findings suggest that the effect of dietary D-and L- Aspartate on gut microbiota is subsequent to its effect on growth performance and inflammatory" said LI Yuying, a researcher in ISA.

This research was supported by funding from the Hunan Province key research and development projects (2017NK2321), National Basic Research Program of China (973) (2013CB127301), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31472106), Changsha Science and Technology Key program (kq1801058)and China Agriculture Research System (CARS-35).

The study entitled "D- and L-Aspartate regulates growth performance, inflammation and intestinal microbial community in young pigs" was published in Food Function can be found athttps://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/fo/c8fo01410h/unauth#!divAbstrac 

Contact: YIN Yulong

E-mail: yinyulong@isa.ac.cn 

Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences