![]() |
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

* Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2141 and
Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2471
2To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:sungwoo.kim{at}ttu.edu.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary arginine supplementation on the growth of artificially reared piglets. The pigs (n = 24; 7 d old) were removed from sows to a nursery facility and assigned randomly to 1 of the 3 treatments representing diets supplemented with 0, 0.2, or 0.4% L-arginine (on the basis of milk replacer powder). Each milk feeder was assigned to 1 dietary treatment. Fresh liquid milk replacer (18.6% dry matter) was provided daily (
0800 h) to piglets. Body weights of piglets were measured and jugular venous blood samples were obtained for metabolite analysis at d 7, 14, and 21 of age. Food intake did not differ between control and arginine-supplemented piglets [66.7 vs. 69.5 g dry matter/(kg body wt · d)]. Compared with control piglets, dietary supplementation with 0.2 and 0.4% L-arginine dose dependently increased (P < 0.05) plasma concentrations of arginine by 30 and 61%, and decreased (P < 0.05) plasma concentrations of ammonia by 20 and 35%, and those of urea by 19 and 33%, respectively. Dietary supplementation with 0.4% L-arginine also increased (P < 0.05) plasma concentrations of insulin and growth hormone by 2427% in piglets, compared with controls. Between 7 and 21 d of age, the supplementation of 0.2 and 0.4% L-arginine to piglets enhanced (P < 0.05) average daily weight gain by 28 and 66%, and body weight by 15 and 32%, respectively, compared with control piglets. Collectively, both the metabolic and growth data demonstrate unequivocally that arginine is deficient in milk-fed young pigs and that this arginine deficiency represents a major obstacle to maximal growth in piglets.
KEY WORDS: pigs milk replacer arginine growth nutrition
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. I. M. Fernandes, A. E. Murakami, E. N. Martins, M. I. Sakamoto, and E. R. M. Garcia Effect of arginine on the development of the pectoralis muscle and the diameter and the protein:deoxyribonucleic acid rate of its skeletal myofibers in broilers Poult. Sci., July 1, 2009; 88(7): 1399 - 1406. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. W. Kim, W. L. Hurley, G. Wu, and F. Ji Ideal amino acid balance for sows during gestation and lactation J Anim Sci, April 1, 2009; 87(14_suppl): E123 - E132. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
W. Jobgen, C. J. Meininger, S. C. Jobgen, P. Li, M.-J. Lee, S. B. Smith, T. E. Spencer, S. K. Fried, and G. Wu Dietary L-Arginine Supplementation Reduces White Fat Gain and Enhances Skeletal Muscle and Brown Fat Masses in Diet-Induced Obese Rats J. Nutr., February 1, 2009; 139(2): 230 - 237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. M. Rhoads, Y. Liu, X. Niu, S. Surendran, and G. Wu Arginine Stimulates cdx2-Transformed Intestinal Epithelial Cell Migration via a Mechanism Requiring Both Nitric Oxide and Phosphorylation of p70 S6 Kinase J. Nutr., September 1, 2008; 138(9): 1652 - 1657. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Z. Zhan, D. Ou, X. Piao, S. W. Kim, Y. Liu, and J. Wang Dietary Arginine Supplementation Affects Microvascular Development in the Small Intestine of Early-Weaned Pigs J. Nutr., July 1, 2008; 138(7): 1304 - 1309. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. Wang, L. Chen, P. Li, X. Li, H. Zhou, F. Wang, D. Li, Y. Yin, and G. Wu Gene Expression Is Altered in Piglet Small Intestine by Weaning and Dietary Glutamine Supplementation J. Nutr., June 1, 2008; 138(6): 1025 - 1032. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. Yao, Y.-L. Yin, W. Chu, Z. Liu, D. Deng, T. Li, R. Huang, J. Zhang, B. Tan, W. Wang, et al. Dietary Arginine Supplementation Increases mTOR Signaling Activity in Skeletal Muscle of Neonatal Pigs J. Nutr., May 1, 2008; 138(5): 867 - 872. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. D. Mateo, G. Wu, H. K. Moon, J. A. Carroll, and S. W. Kim Effects of dietary arginine supplementation during gestation and lactation on the performance of lactating primiparous sows and nursing piglets J Anim Sci, April 1, 2008; 86(4): 827 - 835. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
O. T. Foye, P. R. Ferket, and Z. Uni The Effects of In Ovo Feeding Arginine, {beta}-Hydroxy-{beta}-Methyl-Butyrate, and Protein on Jejunal Digestive and Absorptive Activity in Embryonic and Neonatal Turkey Poults Poult. Sci., November 1, 2007; 86(11): 2343 - 2349. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
X. Wang, S. Qiao, Y. Yin, L. Yue, Z. Wang, and G. Wu A Deficiency or Excess of Dietary Threonine Reduces Protein Synthesis in Jejunum and Skeletal Muscle of Young Pigs J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1442 - 1446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. O. Ball, K. L. Urschel, and P. B. Pencharz Nutritional Consequences of Interspecies Differences in Arginine and Lysine Metabolism J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1626S - 1641S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. Wu, F. W. Bazer, T. A. Cudd, W. S. Jobgen, S. W. Kim, A. Lassala, P. Li, J. H. Matis, C. J. Meininger, and T. E. Spencer Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Arginine Supplementation in Animals J. Nutr., June 1, 2007; 137(6): 1673S - 1680S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. D. Mateo, G. Wu, F. W. Bazer, J. C. Park, I. Shinzato, and S. W. Kim Dietary L-Arginine Supplementation Enhances the Reproductive Performance of Gilts J. Nutr., March 1, 2007; 137(3): 652 - 656. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. W. Frank, J. Escobar, H. V. Nguyen, S. C. Jobgen, W. S. Jobgen, T. A. Davis, and G. Wu Oral N-Carbamylglutamate Supplementation Increases Protein Synthesis in Skeletal Muscle of Piglets J. Nutr., February 1, 2007; 137(2): 315 - 319. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. M. Rhoads, X. Niu, J. Odle, and L. M. Graves Role of mTOR signaling in intestinal cell migration Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, September 1, 2006; 291(3): G510 - G517. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. L. Urschel, A. K. Shoveller, R. R. E. Uwiera, P. B. Pencharz, and R. O. Ball Citrulline Is an Effective Arginine Precursor in Enterally Fed Neonatal Piglets J. Nutr., July 1, 2006; 136(7): 1806 - 1813. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. R. Ebert, A. S. Berman, R. J. Harrell, A. M. Kessler, S. G. Cornelius, and J. Odle Vegetable Proteins Enhance the Growth of Milk-Fed Piglets, Despite Lower Apparent Ileal Digestibility J. Nutr., September 1, 2005; 135(9): 2137 - 2143. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. Wu, D. A. Knabe, and S. W. Kim Arginine Nutrition in Neonatal Pigs J. Nutr., October 1, 2004; 134(10): 2783S - 2790S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||