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Agriculture

Reduction in Within-Litter Variation of Piglet Birth Weight Through Dietary Supplementation of 3-Hydroxyisobutyric Acid in Sows

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy in Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China, have discovered a way to reduce the variation in birth weight of piglets through dietary supplementation of 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid (3-HIB) in sows. The study, published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, found that supplementing sows with 15 mg/kg body weight of 3-HIB during late pregnancy significantly decreased the number of piglets with low birth weight. This breakthrough has the potential to improve the survival rate and postnatal growth of piglets.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study focused on the effects of 3-HIB supplementation on the birth weight of piglets in 40 sows.
  • The researchers found that 3-HIB supplementation significantly decreased the number of piglets with low birth weight (p < 0.01).
  • The study indicated that 3-HIB supplementation increased the expression of lipid transport-related proteins (solute carrier family 27a [SLC27A1] and fatty acid binding protein 3 [FABP3]) and fatty acid oxidation protein (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 [CPT-1]) in the placenta and muscle of piglets, respectively.
  • The results showed that the beneficial effects of 3-HIB supplementation on piglet birth weight were more pronounced in the second litter of the sows.
  • The study mentioned that the lipid metabolism-related protein expression was altered in the placenta of sows and the muscle of piglets.
  • The research concluded that the dietary supplementation of 3-HIB in sows reduced the within-litter variation of piglet birth weight.
  • The study included authors from Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy: Long Che, Lizhu Niu, Le Liu, Mengyun Li, Wenying Huo, Hongyu Deng, Wen Chen, Lifeng Pang, and Mengmeng Xu.

Statistics:

  • 40 sows were randomly assigned to the control (Con) group and 3-HIB supplementation groups (15 mg/kg body weight), with 20 sows per group.
  • The experiment was conducted from day 85 of pregnancy until farrowing.
  • The 3-HIB supplementation significantly decreased the number of piglets with low birth weight (p < 0.01).
  • The beneficial effects of 3-HIB supplementation on piglet birth weight were more pronounced in the second litter of the sows.

Sources:

  • "Reduction in within-litter variation of piglet birth weight through dietary supplementation of 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid in sows." Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2025,12.
  • Health & Medicine Week. September 5, 2025; p 1728.

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