Dietary High Fiber and N-Carbamylglutamate Enhance Sow Reproductive Performance via Modulating Lactobacilli, Lipid Metabolites, and the PI3K-Akt Signaling Pathway

Background Both high fiber diet and N-Carbamylglutamate (NCG) individually contributes to improve reproductive efficiency in sow. However, the potential synergistic effects and the underlying mechanisms are not well-understood. Here, Landrace x Yorkshire sows were selected to investigate the synergistic effects of high fiber diet and 0.05% NCG on reproductive performance using metagenomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analysis.
Results The study revealed that high fiber with NCG (H+N) significantly increased litter weight at weaning and the apparent nutrient digestibility. Metagenomic analysis revealed H+N increased the abundance of lactobacilli across multiple taxonomic levels (from order to species level, including Lactobacillus sp. 910589175), which was positively correlated with elevated levels of the lipid metabolites L-α-glycerylphosphorylcholine and taurocholic acid. Subsequent transcriptomic profiling indicated activation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, which was associated with improved litter weight at weaning and the apparent nutrient digestibility.
Conclusion The synergistic effect of high-fiber diet and NCG supplementation enhances reproductive efficiency in sows by modulating gut microbiota (specifically lactobacilli), increasing beneficial lipid metabolites, and activating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, thereby improving nutrient digestibility and litter weight.