Premium
Effect of dietary β‐carotene on the early embryonic development and uterine fluid composition of gilts
Author(s) -
Schweigert F. J.,
Krieger K.,
Schnurrbusch U.,
Schams D.,
Gropp J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1046/j.1439-0396.2002.00384.x
Subject(s) - embryo , gestation , vitamin , embryogenesis , medicine , biology , endocrinology , uterus , andrology , retinol , reproduction , carotene , zoology , pregnancy , food science , ecology , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary The role of β‐carotene in reproduction was investigated in gilts assigned to three dietary supplementations: VA (4000 IU vitamin A); VA + VA (4000 IU + 8300 IU); VA + BC (4000 IU + 100 mg β‐carotene) per kg diet for 14 weeks. Gilts were slaughtered at day 12 of gestation. In the VA + BC group, number of corpora lutea was lowest, but the number of embryos was greatest, resulting in a non‐significant decreased prenatal mortality(p<0.07). The proportion of less developed spherical and tubular embryos compared with filamentous was greatest in the VA + BC group (p<0.01). No differences were observed for vitamin A and retinal binding protein (RBP) in the uterine fluid. When animals were grouped according to the development of blastocysts, vitamin A and RBP levels were higher in the VA + BC group with only filamentous embryos (p<0.01). This indicates that the supplementation of β‐carotene to gilts might affect embryonic losses possibly because of slower alterations in the uterine environment, resulting in a higher and less variable number of embryos, despite an apparently more heterogeneous development.