Suplementação de ácidos graxos poliinsaturados ômega-3 em fêmeas suínas: impacto sobre marcadores metabólicos e desempenho reprodutivo

Abstract

Supplementation of diets of swine females with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) containing omega-3, especially the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may be an alternative to improve their reproductive performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate reproductive performance and serum levels of metabolic marker in swine females supplemented with omega-3. In this study, 463 swine females were supplemented in the diet with a source of DHA extracted from microalgae, from the 85th day of gestation and during both the lactation and the weaning-to-estrus interval (WEI). The DHA was included in the diet at: 3.5; 7.0; 14.0; and 28.0 g/d. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the supplementation (during gestation), ten days after farrowing (during lactation) and one day prior to weaning, for determination of serum levels of metabolic markers: triglycerides; cholesterol; insulinlike growth factor type I (IGF-I); and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). No effect of the treatments was observed on the stillborn rate, total litter size and WEI at the parity in which supplementation occurred (P > 0.05), and also no effect occurred on total litter size and stillborn rate at the subsequent parity (P > 0.05). During the gestation, serum levels of cholesterol and IGF-I were lower (P < 0.05) and NEFA serum levels were greater than during lactation and the WEI (P < 0.05). Also during gestation, serum triglyceride levels were reduced (P < 0.05) only for females supplemented with 14.0 and 28.0 g of omega-3. The supplementation with DHA did not benefit the evaluated reproductive parameters of swine females, possibly due to the excellent performance observed during the experimental period.