Dietary Amino Acid Supplementation and its Relationship with Placental and Fetal Growth in Pigs

Abstract

It is widely accepted that adequate feeding strategies in gestating sows are important for fetal growth and survival. Recently, amino acid nutrition in pigs has been used effectively to improve pregnancy outcomes, especially, conditionally essential amino acids for gestating swine such as arginine and glutamine. Their angiogenic effect during pregnancy has provided an effective approach to solve reduced litter size and to improve sow’s reproductive performance. In association with amino acid nutrition in sow diets, placental vascularization and uterine capacity are factors that contribute to mitigate Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), a common problem in both human medicine and animal production, including swine production. The purpose of this review is to highlight the effects of maternal amino acid supplementation on intrauterine environment and IUGR presentation and to outline recent scientific advances supporting its beneficial use as a nutritional tool in gestating sow diets.