Metabolic disorder of amino acids, fatty acids and purines reflects the decreases in oocyte quality and potential in sows.

Oocyte quality is closely related to female fertility. Nevertheless, core nutritional metabolites influencing oocyte quality are unclear. Herein, comprehensive metabolomics analysis of follicular fluid, serum, and urine from low reproductive performance (LRP) and normal reproductive performance (NRP) sows was conducted. Twenty-seven, fourteen and sixteen metabolites (involved in metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, purine and pyrimidine) were altered in follicular fluid, serum and urine, respectively, in LRP compared with NRP sows, and could decrease oocyte quality and developmental potential, ultimately leading to low fertility. Deoxyinosine, guanidine acetate, thymidine, 5,6-epoxy-eicosatrienoic acid, carnosine, docosahexaenoic acid and carbamoyl phosphate in follicular fluid, cysteine, carnitine, serotonin, hypoxanthine, valine and arginine in serum, as well as carnitine, phenyl glycine, N-acetyl glutamine, propionyl carnitine and choline in urine could be selected as diagnostic markers to indicate oocyte quality. Consistent with metabolomics data, we confirmed changes in concentrations of fatty acids and amino acids in follicular fluid. Targeting purine metabolism, elevating levels of deoxyinosine in in-vitro maturation medium of porcine oocyte significantly promoted the blastocyst rate. Collectively, this study provided new information of potential targets for predicting oocyte quality and developmental potential, and may help with strategies for early diagnosis or therapeutic/dietary intervention in improving reproductive outcomes.

Urinary Hepcidin Levels in Iron-Deficient and Iron-Supplemented Piglets Correlate with Hepcidin Hepatic mRNA and Serum Levels and with Body Iron Status.

Among livestock, domestic pig (Sus scrofa) is a species, in which iron metabolism has been most intensively examined during last decade. The obvious reason for studying the regulation of iron homeostasis especially in young pigs is neonatal iron deficiency anemia commonly occurring in these animals. Moreover, supplementation of essentially all commercially reared piglets with iron entails a need for monitoring the efficacy of this routine practice followed in the swine industry for several decades. Since the discovery of hepcidin many studies confirmed its role as key regulator of iron metabolism and pointed out the assessment of its concentrations in biological fluids as diagnostic tool for iron-related disorder. Here we demonstrate that urine hepcidin-25 levels measured by a combination of weak cation exchange chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (WCX-TOF MS) are highly correlated with mRNA hepcidin expression in the liver and plasma hepcidin-25 concentrations in anemic and iron-supplemented 28-day old piglets. We also found a high correlation between urine hepcidin level and hepatic non-heme iron content. Our results show that similarly to previously described transgenic mouse models of iron disorders, young pigs constitute a convenient animal model to explore accuracy and relationship between indicators for assessing systemic iron status.

[Corynebacterium suis infection in swine. 1. Clinical diagnosis with special consideration of urine studies and cystoscopy]. / Corynebacterium-suis-Infektion beim Schwein. 1. Mitteilung: Klinische Diagnose unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Harnuntersuchung und Zystoskopie.

Experimental and spontaneous infections with Corynebacterium suis in sows were investigated. In early stages animals show no clinical disorders or only for a short time. However, there are already marked changes in urinary samples (hematuria, proteinuria, leukocyturia, gross alterations). Using an endoscope mucosal irritations can be seen mainly on the floor of the bladders. In chronic cases alterations in urine are more pronounced. If a pyelonephritis is present in addition to the cystitis, general signs of illness are evident including anorexia, emaciation, anemia, subnormal body temperature and abortions. Bladders demonstrate an erosive and ulcerative, hemorrhagic cystitis on the whole mucosal surface. Uremia appears only in late stages of the disease.

[The importance of exogenous factors on the composition of the urine of breeding sows]. / Die Bedeutung exogener Faktoren für die Zusammensetzung des Harns der Zuchtsauen.

The influence of protein content in feed, of reduced and increased water-intake, of different hygienic situations and of antibiotic feed-medication on urine contents was controlled in healthy and cystitis diseased sows. It could be shown, that the urinary quality of healthy and ill sows was influenced in the same direction by exogenous factors. The amount of water-intake shows the greatest influence. Its rinsing effect on the quantity of relevant parameters of the urine examination (bacterial count, protein content, cell content) can induce misleading findings. Therefore the evaluation of the urinary status should be completed by anamnestic information, especially concerning increased or reduced water-intake.