QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Easter, R. A. Articles by Baker, D. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Easter, R. A. Articles by Baker, D. H.

Nitrogen Metabolism and Reproductive Response of Gravid Swine Fed an Arginine-free Diet during the Last 84 Days of Gestation^1,2,

Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801

Based upon nitrogen retention and urinary excretion of orotic and citric acid, previous experiments have shown that the gravid gilt does not require a dietary source of arginine during late gestation. This experiment was designed to evaluate effects of feeding an arginine-free diet for a major portion of gestation. Three diets, 0% L-arginine, 0.38% L-arginine and a fortified corn-soybean meal control, were fed to two litter-mate trios from day 30 of gestation until parturition. The experimental diets contained crystalline amino acids as the sole source of nitrogen and provided 12.6% crude protein equivalent. All gilts received 2 kg of diet daily and were housed throughout the 84-day feeding period in metabolism crates. Nitrogen retention tended to increase with advancing pregnancy, but was uninfluenced by dietary treatment. Averaged across all three gestational trimester periods, nitrogen retention was 11.2, 9.7 and 12.0 g/day for the 0% arginine, 0.38% arginine and corn-soybean meal diet, respectively. Urinary excretion of orotic acid was not significantly affected by arginine intake. Moreover, number and weight of pigs at birth and weaning were unaltered by dietary treatment. Thus, it is evident that satisfactory reproductive response can be achieved with gravid swine fed an arginine-free diet during the last 84 days of pregnancy.

KEY WORDS: • arginine • swine • pregnancy • amino acid • orotic acid

¹ A preliminary report of these data was made August, 1975, at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, Fort Collins, Colorado, Easter, R. A., Molitoris, B. A. & Baker, D. H. (1975) Nitrogen metabolism and reproductive performance of gravid gilts fed an arginine-free diet during gestation. J. Anim. Sci. 41, 312. Abstr.

² Supported in part by funds from the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station.

Manuscript received 27 October 1975.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. F. Bertolo and D. G. Burrin Comparative Aspects of Tissue Glutamine and Proline Metabolism J. Nutr., October 1, 2008; 138(10): 2032S - 2039S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. H. Baker Lysine, Arginine, and Related Amino Acids: An Introduction to the 6th Amino Acid Assessment Workshop J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1599S - 1601S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Zagorski Profile of David H. Baker PNAS, February 28, 2006; 103(9): 3020 - 3022. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. H. Baker Inaugural Article: Comparative nutrition and metabolism: Explication of open questions with emphasis on protein and amino acids PNAS, December 13, 2005; 102(50): 17897 - 17902. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]