A new feeding strategy for the rearing of growing pigs: the use of long-chain n-3 fatty acids to improve protein anabolism

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The swine industry is competitive and both feeding and rearing practices are subject to frequent adjustments in order to follow market trends that are dictating national and international trades. These management 'adjustments' do not necessarily result in higher profitability for the producers, conversely, they increase production costs.  In order to maintain profitability, producers have to increase their rate of production.   Many attempts have been made to develop approaches that increase feed conversion of growing pigs without the introduction of controversial agents or molecules in the rearing management.  Swine feeding management is quite refined and it is a challenge trying to improve it.  However, we have discovered that long-chain n-3 fatty acids (LCn-3FA) in the diet do regulate protein anabolism by enhancing muscle insulin sensitivity mediating the regulation of protein metabolism in growing animal models as steers and piglets.  The current research proposal consists of a technological transfer to swine production. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL : 1) To establish the minimal amounts of menhaden oil that have to be fed to starting and growing pigs in order to maximize performance; 2) To evaluate the synergistic interaction between a leucine supplement and menhaden oil in order to promote protein anabolism and to improve feed conversion through the modulation of the insulin signalling pathway. The methodological approaches and parameters that have been set to be measured are: performance (intake, body weight gain, feed conversion); fatty acid profiling of muscle membrane phospholipids; intramuscular triglycerides and back fat.  The cellular insulin signalling machinery will also be investigated due to its role as a regulator of protein anabolism by assessing: IR, IRS-1, IRS-2, PI3 kinase, Akt, mTOR, S6K1, 4EBP-1, and GLUT4 transporter.