Effects of mitoquinol on production parameters during heat stress in growing pigs
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Date
2022-12
Authors
Freestone, Alyssa Dawn
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Baumgard, Lance H
Selsby, Joshua T
Ross, Jason W
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Abstract
Heat stress (HS) jeopardizes all aspects of farm animal production, and it thus causes substantial economic losses in animal agriculture. The negative effects of HS are typically expressed through inconsistent and reduced growth, impaired reproductive performance, reduced milk synthesis, and increased mortality and morbidity. Pigs lack functional sweat glands; ergo, they are less capable of mitigating the harmful effects of HS via evaporative cooling from the skin. Although the effects of hyperthermia are multifactorial, increasing evidence suggests that the gastrointestinal tract is the epicenter of the negative consequences of HS. Hyperthermia decreases intestinal barrier function leading to increased permeability, metabolic dysfunction, and free radical production. Oxidative stress (OS) occurs when an overabundance of free radicals causes broad cellular damage, which is thought to decrease animal performance and feed efficiency. As global temperatures increase, developing new strategies to mitigate the detrimental effects of HS on livestock is crucial for food security and sustainability. Since OS is exacerbated by HS, supplementing antioxidants might protect pigs from HS-induced OS. Mitoquinol (MitoQ) is a dietary antioxidant that targets the mitochondria where the majority of free radical production occurs. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to investigate the effects of MitoQ on production performance during HS in pigs. Gilts were used to evaluate the effects of MitoQ supplementation on growth performance, metabolism, and OS biomarkers during HS. As expected, pigs exposed to HS had increased body temperature indices, reduced feed intake, decreased growth performance, and total gastrointestinal weight (empty tissue and contents) was decreased in HS pigs, but these variables were not affected by MitoQ. Liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was not different between environment or dietary treatment groups. Further, MitoQ administration did not appear to ameliorate the negative consequences of HS. In summary, hyperthermia negatively influences swine production and there remains a need to develop an effective strategy to mitigate its impact. Further research is warranted to determine if OS is part of the mechanism responsible for the negative effects of HS and if so, does alleviating OS improve production performance. Having a better understanding of OS’s impact during HS will provide foundational information for developing approaches directed towards minimizing the production losses during the warm summer months.
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thesis