December 27, 2010
US study proves L-glutamine helpful in pig's gut health
A research study has proven L-glutamine to have an important role in swine nutrition and production such as maintaining gut health and prevention of intestinal dysfunction.
The study was conducted by the Departments of Animal Science and of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences from Texas A&M University in the US. L-Glutamine (Gln) has traditionally not been considered as a nutrient needed in diets for livestock species or even mentioned in classic animal nutrition textbooks. This is due to previous technical difficulties in Gln analysis and the unsubstantiated assumption that animals can synthesise sufficient amounts of Gln to meet their needs. Consequently, the current version of NRC (1998) does not recommend dietary Gln requirements for swine. This lack of knowledge about Gln nutrition has contributed to suboptimal efficiency of global pig production.
Because of recent advances in research, Gln is now known to be an abundant amino acid in physiological fluids and proteins and a key regulator of gene expression. Additionally, Gln can regulate cell signaling via the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, AMP-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-related kinase, Jun kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and nitric oxide. Exquisite integration of Gln-dependent regulatory networks has profound effects on cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, metabolism, homeostasis, survival, and function.
As a result of translating basic research into practice, dietary supplementation with 1% Gln maintains gut health and prevents intestinal dysfunction in low-birth-weight or early-weaned piglets, while increasing their growth performance and survival. Also, supplementing 1% Gln to a corn- and soybean-meal-based diet between d 90 and 114 of gestation ameliorates fetal growth retardation in gilts and reduces preweaning mortality of piglets.
Furthermore, dietary supplementation with 1% Gln enhances milk production by lactating sows. Thus, adequate amounts of dietary Gln, a major nutrient, are necessary to support maximum growth, development, and production performance of swine.
