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Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 25242

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Dr. Adel Pezeshki

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Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, 206c Animal Science Building, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Interests: branched-chain amino acids; bioactive peptides; glycemic control; metabolic health
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Proteins and amino acids are involved in many metabolic and biochemical functions in the cell. Consumption of proteins elicits different behavioral and physiological responses, which are under homeostatic control. An alteration in dietary protein density or source produces differential adaptive responses in energy balance and metabolism, which are partly due to changes in the dietary amino acid profile. The mechanisms by which proteins and amino acids modulate energy balance are not fully understood. Therefore, the overall objective of this Special Issue is to provide new insights into the role of dietary protein and amino acids on energy balance and metabolism and their underlying mechanisms of action across different animals’ species that can lead to improvement in animal growth and health. The specific objective is to explore the effects of dietary protein content and source as well as individual amino acids on food/feed intake, energy expenditure, nutrient utilization, gut microbiota, protein turnover, the parameters of growth at cellular and whole-body levels and metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes, obesity, ketosis, fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunctions). We welcome original research articles, reviews, viewpoints, letters, essays, etc. from different research areas such as animal science, veterinary medicine, nutritional sciences, biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, etc. for submission to this Special Issue.

Dr. Adel Pezeshki
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

proteins
amino acids
growth
health
energy balance

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Dietary Crude Protein Level on Hepatic Lipid Metabolism in Weaned Female Piglets

by Ning Liu, Yun Ji, Ying Yang, Hai Jia, Xuemeng Si, Da Jiang, Yunchang Zhang, Zhaolai Dai and Zhenlong Wu

Animals 2021, 11(6), 1829; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11061829 - 18 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2220

Abstract

Amino acids serve not only as building blocks for proteins, but also as substrates for the synthesis of low-molecular-weight substances involved in hepatic lipid metabolism. In the present study, eighteen weaned female piglets at 35 days of age were fed a corn- and soybean meal-based diet containing 20%, 17%, or 14% crude protein (CP), respectively. We found that 17% or 20% CP administration reduced the triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations, while enhanced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration in serum. Western blot analysis showed that piglets in the 20% CP group had higher protein abundance of hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase (HSL) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), as compared with other groups. Moreover, the mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (SREBPF1), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) were lower in the 17% or 20% CP group, compared with those of the piglets administered with 14% CP. Of note, the mRNA level of acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha (ACACα) was lower in the 17% CP group, compared with other groups. Additionally, the mRNA level of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha α (PPARα), glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (G6PC), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PKC1) in the liver of piglets in the 20% CP group were higher than those of the 14% CP group. Collectively, our results demonstrated that dietary CP could regulate hepatic lipid metabolism through altering hepatic lipid lipogenesis, lipolysis, oxidation, and gluconeogenesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

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10 pages, 271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Optimal Valine to Lysine Ratio for Performance Parameters in Weaned Piglets

by Diana Siebert, Daulat Rehman Khan and David Torrallardona

Animals 2021, 11(5), 1255; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11051255 - 27 Apr 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1876

Abstract

The optimal digestible (d) Valine (Val) to d Lysine (Lys) ratio (dVal:dLys) in weaned piglets was determined using two different regression models. A total of 200 piglets were allotted to five feeding groups and fed a corn-soybean meal based basal diet supplemented with consecutive increasing amounts of crystalline L-valine in order to reach dVal:dLys of 0.59, 0.63, 0.67, 0.71, 0.75 in the pre-starter (0–13 days) and 0.57, 0.62, 0.66, 0.70, 0.75 in the starter phase (13–43 days). In the starter phase and during the whole period, supplementing the basal diet with L-valine resulted in an improvement in body weight gain and feed intake. An exponential asymptotic (EA) and a curvilinear-plateau (CLP) regression model were fit to feed intake and body weight gain data. The estimated dVal:dLys for body weight gain was found to be 0.68 (EA, 95% of maximum response) and 0.67 (CLP) in the starter phase and 0.65 (EA, 95% of maximum response and CLP) in the total trial period. It is concluded that the supplementation of a valine-deficient basal diet for weaned piglets with L-valine improves the piglet’s weight gain and feed intake and that a dVal:dLys of 0.68 is recommended to optimize body weight gain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

21 pages, 1625 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of a Phytogenic Water Additive on Growth Performance, Blood Metabolites and Gene Expression of Amino Acid Transporters in Nursery Pigs Fed with Low-Protein/High-Carbohydrate Diets

by Cedrick N. Shili, Mohammad Habibi, Julia Sutton, Jessie Barnes, Jacob Burch-Konda and Adel Pezeshki

Animals 2021, 11(2), 555; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11020555 - 20 Feb 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2213

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a phytogenic water additive (PWA) on growth performance and underlying factors involved in pigs fed with low-protein (LP)/high-carbohydrate diets. Forty-eight weaned barrows were allotted to six treatments for 4 weeks: CON-NS, control (CON) diet-no PWA; CON-LS, CON diet-low dose PWA (4 mL/L); CON-HS, CON diet-high dose PWA (8 mL/L); LP-NS, LP diet-no PWA; LP-LS, LP diet-low dose PWA; LP-HS, LP diet-high dose PWA. Relative to CON-NS, pigs fed with CON-HS had increased average daily gain, body weight and serum calcium (Ca) and phosphorous (P) and had decreased mRNA abundance of solute carrier family 7 member 11 and solute carrier family 6 member 19 in jejunum. Compared to LP-NS, pigs fed with LP-HS had increased muscle lean%, decreased muscle fat%, decreased serum Ca and increased serum P. Compared to their NS counterparts, CON-LS, CON-HS, and LP-LS increased the concentration of plasma essential AA and those fed with CON-HS and LP-HS tended to reduce the abundance of the solute carrier family 7 member 1 transcript in skeletal muscle. Thus, PWA improved the performance of weaned pigs fed with protein-adequate diets likely through increased blood essential AA and affected the muscle composition when dietary protein was deficient. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

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14 pages, 942 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Effects of Milk Containing A1 versus A2 β-Casein on Health, Growth and β-Casomorphin-7 Level in Plasma of Neonatal Dairy Calves

by Lisa G. Hohmann, Tong Yin, Helen Schweizer, Isabella J. Giambra, Sven König and Armin M. Scholz

Animals 2021, 11(1), 55; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11010055 - 30 Dec 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3406

Abstract

Research has shown that digestion of A1 β-casein (β-CN) affects gastrointestinal motility and opioid activity through the release of the peptide β-casomorphin-7 (β-CM7). In the case of the A2 variant, the cleavage of β-CM7 does not occur or occurs at a very low rate. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare the effects of milk containing either homozygote A1 or A2 β-CN on health and growth parameters of dairy calves. Forty-seven neonatal calves (24 females, 23 males) of the breeds German Holstein (GH, n = 9), German Simmental (GS, n = 33) and their crossing (GH × GS, n = 5) were used in a 21-day feeding study. Fecal score (FS), respiratory frequency (RF), and rectal body temperature (BT) were recorded daily, whereas body weight was measured at birth and at day 21 to estimate the average daily weight gain (ADG). Additionally, blood was collected from calves three times during the experimental period and, for the first time, the respective plasma samples were analyzed for intact β-CM7. Consumption of A2-milk led to a lower daily milk intake (dMI) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, fecal consistency was softer for calves fed A2-milk (p < 0.05). Although 44% of A2-calves had diarrhea or revealed a tendency towards it (FS ≥ 3), A1-calves had a prevalence of 21%. Calves with a FS of 4 were offered an electrolyte solution and received a dietary food supplement for the stabilization of the fluid and electrolyte balance. Nevertheless, similar ADG and end weights (EW) of calves fed A1- or A2-milk (p > 0.05) indicate that A2-milk may compensate higher diarrhea rates and lower dMI due to the associated higher protein content. This is the first report of intact β-CM7 in plasma of calves fed milk of either A1 or A2 β-CN. Evidence from this study suggests that due to the change in the amino-acid sequence, A2-milk might be able to prevent or, at least, to minimize the cleavage of β-CM7 in calves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

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12 pages, 2065 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Dietary Methionine Deficiency Followed by a Re-Feeding Phase on the Hepatic Antioxidant Activities of Lambs

by Rong Liu, Qiyu Diao and Kai Cui

Animals 2021, 11(1), 7; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11010007 - 23 Dec 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2139

Abstract

Our objective was to investigate the effect of methionine restriction and resuming supply on liver antioxidant response in lambs. The concentrations of methionine and its metabolites and the expression of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf₂), a redox sensitive factor, were detected after methionine restriction treatment for 50 days and methionine supply recovery for 29 days. The expression of glutathione (GSH) S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were characterized at the level of transcription and translation. Methionine restriction can directly change the content of methionine and its metabolites in plasma and liver, and affect the redox state of lambs by activating the Nrf₂ signaling pathway. Liver tissue can adapt to oxidative environment by upregulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes such as GSH-Px and SOD. Moreover, it was found that there was a lag effect in the recovery of metabolism after methionine supplementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

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16 pages, 339 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Dietary Crude Protein on Animal Performance, Blood Biochemistry Profile, Ruminal Fermentation Parameters and Carcass and Meat Quality of Heavy Fattening Assaf Lambs

by Cristina Saro, Javier Mateo, Irma Caro, Diego Eloy Carballo, Miguel Fernández, Carmen Valdés, Raúl Bodas and Francisco Javier Giráldez

Animals 2020, 10(11), 2177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10112177 - 21 Nov 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3471

Abstract

Thirty Assaf male lambs (30 ± 1.9 kg of body weight) were allocated to three groups fed diets differing in their crude protein (CP) contents (low protein (LP), 134 g CP/kg dry matter (DM); medium protein (MP), 157 g CP/kg DM; and high protein (HP), 173 g CP/kg DM) to test the effect of dietary protein content on animal performance, rumen function, animal health, and carcass and meat quality. Feed intake was recorded daily, and animals were weighed every second week. Lambs were blood-sampled to determine their acid–base status and biochemical profile. After 70 days of trial, lambs were slaughtered, and the ruminal content was collected to assess ruminal fermentation. Finally, carcass and meat quality were evaluated. Dry matter intake and average daily gain increased (p < 0.05) when increasing the level of dietary CP. There were not significant differences (p > 0.05) in the evaluated parameters in the rumen fluid of lambs. There were not significant differences in carcass or meat quality (p > 0.05) and in those parameters related to blood acid–base status. Several biochemical parameters showed differences depending on diet CP level (urea, protein, albumin, glucose, and calcium; p < 0.05). Feeding costs calculated in relation to cold carcass weight decreased when dietary CP decreased. The results suggested that a dietary protein content greater than 157 g/kg DM would be required to maximize growth performance in Assaf male fattening lambs under 50 kg of body weight. However, a protein content beyond that level was not found to improve either carcass or meat quality and could worsen profitability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

14 pages, 268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dietary Crude Protein Levels on Fecal Crude Protein, Amino Acids Flow Amount, Fecal and Ileal Microbial Amino Acids Composition and Amino Acid Digestibility in Growing Pigs

by Zhenguo Yang, Tianle He, Gifty Ziema Bumbie, Hong Hu, Qingju Chen, Changwen Lu and Zhiru Tang

Animals 2020, 10(11), 2092; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10112092 - 11 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1779

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of low protein corn-soybean meal-based diets on fecal CP, amino acid (AA) flow amount, AA digestibility and fecal and ileal microbial AA composition in growing pigs. Eighteen pigs (initial body weight = 30 ± 1.35) were randomly divided into three groups and fed with basal diets with CP levels of 12%, 15% and 18%, respectively. The Lys, Met + Cys, Thr and Trp level in the 12% CP and 15% CP groups is the same as 18% CP group by the addition of four crystalline Lys, Met + Cys, Thr and Trp to the diet. The results showed that with the decrease of dietary CP level from 18% to 12%, the fecal total nitrogen (N), CP and total AA (TAA) flow amount decreased linearly (p < 0.05). Dry matter (DM) digestibility, CP digestibility, TAA digestibility, essential amino acid (EAA) digestibility and non-essential amino acid (NEAA) digestibility increased linearly with the decrease of dietary CP concentration from 18% to 12%. Compared with 18% CP group, the flow amount of Asp, Ser, Glu, Gly, Tyr, Val, Leu and Phe in feces of pigs in the 15% CP group and 12% CP group decreased significantly, while the flow amount of Arg in the 15% CP group was lower than that in the 18% CP group and 12% CP group. The fecal microbial N and AA of the 15% CP group were higher than those of the 18% CP and 12% CP groups. Fecal TAA flow amount decreased linearly with the decrease of the dietary CP levels from 18% to 12%. Fecal TAA and NEAA flow amount also decreased linearly with the decrease of dietary CP level from 18% to 12%. Except for Glu, Gly, Met, Tyr, Thr and Phe, there were significant differences among the three groups in the composition of 17 kinds of AAs in fecal microorganisms. Among the 17 AA compositions of ileal microorganisms, except Tyr and Lys, the other AAs were significantly different among the three groups (p < 0.05) Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

24 pages, 1784 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Corn-Expressed Phytase Improves Daily Weight Gain, Protein Efficiency Ratio and Nutrients Digestibility and Alters Fecal Microbiota in Pigs Fed with Very Low Protein Diets

by Cedrick N. Shili, Jonathan N. Broomhead, Shelby C. Spring, Mike B. Lanahan and Adel Pezeshki

Animals 2020, 10(10), 1926; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10101926 - 20 Oct 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3163

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a novel corn-expressed phytase (CEP) on growth, nutrients digestibility, bone characteristics and fecal microbiota of pigs fed with very low-protein, -calcium (Ca) and -phosphorous (P) diets. Forty-eight barrows were subjected to 6 groups for 4 weeks: positive control-adequate protein (PC), negative control-reduced protein (NC), NC + low-dose CEP, i.e., 2000 FTU/kg (LD), NC + high-dose CEP, i.e., 4000 FTU/kg (HD), LD with 0.12% unit reduced Ca and 0.15% unit reduced available P (LDR), and HD with 0.12% unit reduced Ca and 0.15% unit reduced available P (HDR). Compared to NC, LD and HDR had a higher average daily gain (ADG) and gain:protein ratio (G:P), HD and HDR had greater apparent fecal digestibility of Ca and P and bone mineral density and LDR and HDR had lower serum osteocalcin. The feces of LD was enriched in Lachnospiraceae, while the HD had a higher abundance of Succinvibrio and LDR had a higher abundance of Bifidobacterium and Actinobacteria. In conclusion, supplementation of protein-restricted diets with a CEP decreased their negative effects on ADG and G:P ratio, increased the digestibility of Ca and P regardless of the levels of these minerals in the diet, improved bone characteristics and produced differential effects on fecal bacterial population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

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13 pages, 237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of a Grain Source (Corn Versus Barley) and Starter Protein Content on Performance, Ruminal Fermentation, and Blood Metabolites in Holstein Dairy Calves

by Mehdi Kazemi-Bonchenari, Mehdi Mirzaei, Mehdi HosseinYazdi, Mohammad Hossein Moradi, Mahdi Khodaei-Motlagh and Adel Pezeshki

Animals 2020, 10(10), 1722; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10101722 - 23 Sep 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1816

Abstract

The effects of a grain source (corn grain (CG) vs. barley grain (BG)) and starter protein content (19% vs. 22% CP, dry matter basis) on growth performance, digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and blood metabolites were evaluated in Holstein dairy calves. Forty 3-day-old female calves with a starting body weight of 39.3 kg were subjected to four treatments in a completely randomized design with two by two factorial arrangements. Treatments were: (1) CG + 19% CP (CG-19CP); (2) CG + 22% CP (CG-22CP); (3) BG + 19% CP (BG-19CP); and (4) BG + 22% CP (BG-22CP). All calves were weaned at 59 days of age and remained in the study until 73 days of age. Starter and total DM intake were not affected by grain source and dietary protein content (p > 0.05). The average daily gain and feed efficiency were improved, and ruminal total short-chain fatty acid, propionate, and butyrate concentrations were increased in BG calves compared to CG calves (p < 0.05). The ruminal concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (d 71; p = 0.02) and acetate (d 35; p = 0.02) were increased in CG fed calves compared to BG. The greatest wither height (p = 0.03) and blood insulin concentration (p = 0.03) were seen in BG-22CP treatment. In conclusion, BG has marginal benefit in the height of calves when fed with diet containing 22% CP which may be recommendable in replacement heifer rearing programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

12 pages, 837 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hyperhomocysteinemia Induced by Methionine Excess is Effectively Suppressed by Betaine in Geese

by Zhi Yang, Yu Yang, Jinjin Yang, Xiaoli Wan, Haiming Yang and Zhiyue Wang

Animals 2020, 10(9), 1642; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani10091642 - 12 Sep 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1830

Abstract

The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of excess Methionine (Met) on the growth performance, serum homocysteine levels, apoptotic rates, and Bax and Bcl-2 protein levels in geese and to study the role of Bet (betaine) in relieving excess Met-induced hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy). In this study, 150 healthy male 14-day-old Yangzhou geese of similar body weight were randomly distributed into three groups with five replicates per treatment and 10 geese per replicate: the control group (fed a control diet), the Met toxicity group (fed the control diet +1% Met), and the Bet detoxification group (fed the control diet +1% Met +0.2% Bet). At 28, 49, and 70 d of age, the geese in the Met toxicity group had significantly lower body weights than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The serum homocysteine levels in geese at 70 d of age in the detoxification group were significantly lower than those in the Met toxicity group (p < 0.05). Compared with the control, Met significantly increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis rates, while Bet reduced them. In conclusion, our results suggest that excess methionine reduces body weight induced by myocardial apoptosis, and Bet can be used to effectively lower plasma homocysteine levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition for Improving Animals’ Growth and Health)

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