Interpretive Summary: Effects of dietary supplementation of different levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid on reproductive performance, glucose intolerance, and placental development of gilts
By: Shuo Ma, Jinfeng Li, Hongxuan Ye, Shuangbo Huang, Zihao Huang, Deyuan Wu, Kaidi Ma, Junyan Xie, Yulong Yin, Chengquan Tan
Glucose homeostasis and placental development are two key factors influencing reproductive performance of sows. Some studies have reported that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) can improve glucose intolerance and cerebral angiogenesis in mice. Therefore, we hypothesized that GABA can improve reproductive performance, glucose intolerance, and placental development of gilts during mid-late gestation. In this study, gilts were randomly assigned into three groups: CON (basal diet), LGABA (basal diet supplemented with 0.03% GABA), and HGABA (basal diet supplemented with 0.06% GABA). Results showed that the LGABA group significantly improved the piglet viability, glucose intolerance, and placental development compared with the CON group. Therefore, GABA has a good prospect as a feed additive for gilts.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.