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.