Ramanau Aleh, Schmidt Rene, Kluge Holger, Eder Klaus
Institute of Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
Arch Anim Nutr. 2006 Apr;60(2):110-8. doi: 10.1080/17450390600562528.
Recently, it has been shown that supplementation of sows with L-carnitine increases their plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, and it has been hypothesized that this may stimulate fetal myogenesis. This study was performed to investigate whether piglets of sows supplemented with L-carnitine differ in muscle fibre characteristics, chemical body composition and postnatal growth capability from pigs of control sows. Muscle fibre characteristics and chemical body composition were determined at weaning in 21 piglets of control sows and 21 piglets of sows treated with L-carnitine with similar body weights; postnatal growth capability was determined from weaning until slaughter at a body weight of 118 kg in 80 pigs of control sows and 80 pigs of sows treated with L-camitine which had also similar body weights at weaning. Piglets of sows supplemented with L-carnitine did not differ in number, area, diameter and type (percentages of slow twitch oxidative + fast twitch oxidative fibres, and fast twitch glycolytic fibres) of muscle fibres in m. longissimus dorsi and m. semitendinosus and in chermical body composition (concentrations of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat) from piglets of control sows. Postnatal growth capability (body weight gains, feed conversion ratio) from weaning to slaughter as well as carcass composition (carcass yield, meat thickness, fat thickness) was also not different between pigs of sows treated with L-carnitine and pigs of control sows. In conclusion, data of this study do not support the hypothesis that L-carnitine supplementation of sows during pregnancy enhances fetal muscle fibre development and increases postnatal growth capability of the offspring.
最近的研究表明，给母猪补充左旋肉碱可提高其血浆中胰岛素样生长因子（IGF）-I的浓度，并且有人推测这可能会刺激胎儿的肌生成。本研究旨在调查补充左旋肉碱的母猪所产仔猪与对照母猪所产仔猪在肌肉纤维特征、身体化学成分和出生后生长能力方面是否存在差异。在体重相似的21头对照母猪所产仔猪和21头经左旋肉碱处理的母猪所产仔猪断奶时，测定其肌肉纤维特征和身体化学成分；在体重相似的80头对照母猪所产仔猪和80头经左旋肉碱处理的母猪所产仔猪断奶至体重达到118 kg屠宰期间，测定其出生后生长能力。补充左旋肉碱的母猪所产仔猪在背最长肌和半腱肌的肌肉纤维数量、面积、直径和类型（慢肌氧化型+快肌氧化型纤维的百分比以及快肌糖酵解型纤维的百分比）以及身体化学成分（干物质、粗蛋白、粗脂肪的浓度）方面与对照母猪所产仔猪没有差异。补充左旋肉碱的母猪所产仔猪从断奶到屠宰的出生后生长能力（体重增加、饲料转化率）以及胴体组成（胴体产量、肉厚度、脂肪厚度）与对照母猪所产仔猪也没有差异。总之，本研究数据不支持孕期给母猪补充左旋肉碱可增强胎儿肌肉纤维发育并提高后代出生后生长能力这一假设。
