ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Anim. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fanim.2025.1569306
Effects of maternal dietary heme Fe supplementation on liver iron levels and expression of iron regulatory genes in newborn piglets
Provisionally accepted
- 1Kunming University, Kunming, China
- 2Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- 3Yunnan Mudao Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Kunming, China
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Research shows that iron deficiency in sows harms fetal growth, sow reproduction, and causes anemia and poor growth in piglets due to restricted iron transfer across the placenta. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of heme Fe on iron metabolism in pregnant sows. Ninety-six multiparous Landrace × Yorkshire (LY) sows (weight 235±15kg) with similar litter size and feeding management were randomly divided into four treatment groups: control group (supplemented with 400 mg/kg), iron deficiency group (with no added FeSO4), heme Fe group (supplemented with 140 mg/kg), and glycine Fe group (supplemented with 470 mg/kg). Iron supplementation lasted from the second trimester (day 30) to day 114 before delivery. In this study, we evaluated sow production performance, measured iron content in placentas, livers, spleens, and colostrum of newborn piglets, and analyzed hemoglobin(HGB) levels, serum iron regulation parameters, and iron regulation gene expression in livers and placentas. The results showed that: (1) The number of live births and the average birth weight of piglets in the heme Fe group were 14.8% and 6.33% higher than those in control group, respectively(P < 0.01). Compared with FeSO4 and glycine Fe, heme Fe improved the production performance of sows. (2) In the heme Fe group, the iron content in colostrum was significantly higher than in the control group (1.27-fold) and glycine Fe group (0.45-fold), while the iron content in the livers of newborn piglets increased by 30.38% and 14.61% compared to the control and glycine Fe groups, respectively (P < 0.01).(3) In the liver and placentas of the deficiency group, the expression of hepcidin was decreased, while the expressions of transferrin receptor 1 (tfr1), feline leukemia virus subgroup C receptor 1(Flvcr1) and transferrin were increased (P < 0.01). In addition, the gene expression level of HO-1 in the heme Fe group of liver was significantly higher compared to that in the control group (1.85-fold), the iron deficiency group (2.99-fold), and the glycinate Fe group (1.67-fold). In conclusion, maternal heme Fe supplements have a significant impact on iron storage in neonatal piglets and are helpful for preventing iron deficiency in newborn piglets.
Keywords: Anemia, Heme Fe, hepcidin, Piglet, sow
Received: 31 Jan 2025; Accepted: 23 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Zhao, Zhang, Ji, Wang, Du, Chen and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Meiquan Li, Kunming University, Kunming, China
Rongfu Guo, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
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