Reproductive Performance and Conceptus Development in Sows in Response to Dietary Supplementation with Oxidized and Reduced Sources of Folic Acid

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 10556066
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 展開研究
• Research Field: Basic veterinary science/Basic zootechnical science
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Principal Investigator: KOKUE Eiichi Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Professor, 農学部, 教授 (50014965)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TANIGAWA Manabu Chugai Pharmaceutical Company, President of SLA Research Center, 部長(研究職) ; KAMOMAE Hideo Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Associate Professor, 農学部, 教授 (60262226) ; SHIMODA Minoru Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Associate Professor, 農学部, 助教授 (50154323) ; TORIDE Yasuhiko Ajinomoto Co Inc, Chief of Technical Services, Feed Additive Department, International Division, 飼料部, 課長(研究職)
• Project Period (FY): 1998 – 2000
• Keywords: sow reproductive performance / litter size / folate / leucovorin / reduced folate / conceptus growth / folacin / oxidized folate

Research Abstract

This study was designed to create a test population of sows that was at least marginally deficient in folic acid, and then impose dietary folic acid treatments to measure possible differences in the effectiveness of chemically specific folate sources. The sows were assigned to receive dietary treatments with one group continuing to receive the unsupplemented diet and three test groups receiving an oxidized source (pterolmonoglutamate), a pharmaceutical grade reduced source (leucovorin) or the commercial organic source, Ajinomoto-PG. These test diets were fed from farrowing through weaning of the first parity and through mating and day 45 of the second parity. Although sows fed diets supplemented with the three sources of folic acid tended to have more pigs per litter than unsupplemented sows at day 45 of gestation (P <.15), the magnitude of difference was not extreme and did not meet a stringent level of statistical significance.
Furthermore, in terms of litter size and fetal growth, there was no indication that the sources of reduced folate including leucovorin and Ajinomoto-PG were any more effective than pteroylmonoglutamate, the synthetic oxidized form of the vitamin. Under the conditions of this experiment, the reduced sources of supplemental dietary folacin including Ajinomoto-PG and leucovorin were no more effective in supporting reproductive performance and conceptus growth and development than the more traditional source of oxidized folate. These reduced sources of supplemental folate do impact circulating reduced folates in sows but the biological significance and potential advantage of this to commercial swine production is unknown.