Effects of different levels of methionine on sow health and plasma metabolomics during late gestation

Fetal growth, survival, and development are benchmarks for the production performance of sows, and methionine has been shown to impact fetal protein mass and the transport of nutrients through the uteroplacental vasculature. This study evaluated the effects of dietary methionine, administered during the late gestation period, on the production performance of sows. Specifically, it measured the effect of methionine on biochemical indicators in the plasma, plasma metabolites, and fecal bacterial communities. Thirty Landrace × Large White sows at day 90 of gestation were randomly assigned to three groups and fed the following diets: (1) a basal diet containing 0.36% methionine; (2) a basal diet + 0.12% methionine (0.48% methionine); and (3) a basal diet + 0.24% methionine (0.60% methionine). The results showed that the 0.48% methionine diet significantly (P < 0.05) increased piglets’ birth weight, and the 0.60% methionine diet significantly (P < 0.05) improved the survival ratio. Dietary methionine lowered the triglyceride (TG) levels (P < 0.05), total bilirubin (BILT3) (P < 0.001) concentration, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (P < 0.05) enzyme activity in the plasma at farrowing. In the plasma metabolomics, dietary methionine increased plasma pyroglutamic acid and decreased 2-pyrrolidinone, hypotaurine, and anyl-histidine in both the 0.48% methionine and 0.60% methionine groups. In addition, the bacteria richness (Chao1 and ACE) and diversity (Shannon) were reduced in the 0.48% methionine group. For the microbiota composition, at the family level, the 0.48% methionine group had a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the relative abundance of Methanobacteriaceae compared to the other two groups, but a decrease in the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Ruminococcaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae compared to the 0.60% methionine group. In conclusion, a diet consisting of 0.48% methionine administered during the late gestation period can improve the production performance of sows and maintain their health.