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Dietary fats provide concentrated energy and aid in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. They also support inflammation regulation, cellular signalling, and membrane formation.
Objective: This study investigated the effect of supplementing sows' diets with cow's milk biofortified with n-6 or n-3 PUFA, at varying n-6/n-3 ratios (8.26, 7.92, and 2.72) during their growing phase and throughout gestation and lactation on their reproductive performance and immune-inflammatory status.
Methods: Circulating cholesterol and fatty acid profiles of serum, colostrum and milk, sow body weight, and neonate colostrum intake, Apgar scores, muscle composition, and embryo viability were analysed. Analysis of circulating immunoglobulins, interleukins, and eicosanoids and complement system haemolytic activity were used to evaluate inflammatory and immune responses of sows and piglets. Expression of lipolysis and lipogenic genes in the liver were investigated in sows and piglets, with additional investigation of hypothalamus genes regulating appetite in sows.
Results: Feeding sows milk biofortified with n-6 and n-3 PUFA altered serum fatty acid profiles, reduced triglycerides, increased embryo total number, increased early gestation backfat, and reduced colostrum IgG. Piglets of biofortified sow had higher circulating IgA, IgM and TNF-α, and lower IL-10. Sows fed n-3 biofortified milk had higher very low-density lipoproteins and TNF-α in circulation. Offspring from sows fed n-6 versus n-3 biofortified milk had lower IL-10 and expression levels of SREBP-1. N-3 versus n-6 also lowered arachidonic acid levels in sow's milk and piglet viability.
Conclusion: Findings offer insights into the potential health benefits of dietary supplementation with biofortified milk in swine.
Reis LG, de Azevedo Ruiz VL, Massami Kitamura SM, Furugen Cesar Andrade A, de Oliveira Bussiman F, Daiana Poleti M, da Silveira J, Fukumasu H, Faccioli L, Marzocchi-Machado C, Strefezzi R, Neves E, Casey T, Netto AS. Feeding sows milk biofortified with n-6 and n-3 modulates immune status of sows and drives positive transgenerational effects. Plos one. 2024; 19(8): e0306707. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306707