Effect of Alpha-lipoic Acid on Productive Parameters and Ruminal VFA Profile in Sheep
Carolina Robles-Rodríguez
Posgrado en Ciencias de la Producción y de la Salud Animal, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Laura González-Dávalos
Laboratorio de Rumiologíay Metabolismo Nutricional, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Yesmin Domínguez-Hernández
Centro de Enseñanza, Investigación y Extensión en Producción Animal en Altiplano, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Armando Shimada
Laboratorio de Rumiologíay Metabolismo Nutricional, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Enrique Piña
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Ofelia Mora *
Laboratorio de Rumiologíay Metabolismo Nutricional, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on feed over the productive parameters of sheep, as well as volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the rumen and blood glucose.
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the Centro de Enseñanza, Investigación y Extensión en Producción Animal del Altiplano (CEIEPAA), located in Tequisquiapan, Querétaro-México.
Methodology: A total of 64 sheep (Pelibuey x Dorset), two months old (32 males and 32 females with an average weight of 20.7 ± 1.3 kg) were used. Animals were housed in 16 pens, 4 animals per pen, and each pen was assigned to one of the 4 ALA inclusion treatments (0, 40, 80, 120 ppm). ALA was mixed with 50 g of ground corn to ensure its consumption; the animals of treatment 0 also received 50 g of ground corn without ALA.
Results: Differences in weight gain were observed from day 56 in the animals supplemented with 80 ppm of ALA (P < .0001) and an improvement in daily weight gain (246 g) and feed conversion (P = .05) was shown. Animals treated with 40 ppm of ALA observed lower blood glucose without affecting the productive parameters (P = .05). A lower concentration of VFA was found in the treatment 120 ppm on day 84 (334.2 ± 26.5 vs 260.0 ± 15.7; P = .05).
Conclusion: The inclusion of 80 ppm of ALA in the diet of sheep could improve the productive parameters.
Keywords: Alpha-lipoic acid, sheep, productive parameters, volatile fatty acids