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The effect of aspartate on the energy metabolism in the liver of weanling pigs challenged with lipopolysaccharide

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Abstracts

Purpose

This study was conducted to investigate whether aspartate (Asp) could improve liver energy status in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged pigs.

Methods

Twenty-four weaned pigs were assigned to four treatments: (1) nonchallenged control (control diet and saline-treated); (2) LPS-challenged control (the same control diet and LPS-challenged); (3) LPS + 0.5 % Asp treatment (0.5 % Asp diet and LPS-challenged); and (4) LPS + 1.0 % Asp treatment (a 1.0 % Asp diet and LPS-challenged). On d 19, the pigs were injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli LPS at 100 μg/kg body weight, and the same volume of 0.9 % NaCl solution, respectively. All pigs were slaughtered at 24 h after LPS or saline injection, and the liver was collected for further analysis.

Results

Dietary supplementation with Asp improved liver energy status evidenced by the increased ATP concentration and adenylate energy charges, and the decreased AMP concentration and AMP/ATP ratio (p < 0.05). Asp supplementation increased the mRNA expression of key enzymes in hepatic glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, including pyruvate kinase and citrate synthase (p < 0.05), and had a tendency to increase hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase β mRNA expression (p < 0.10). In addition, Asp increased the mRNA expressions of hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α1, AMPKα2, silent information regulator (Sirt1), and proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC1α) (p < 0.05). Moreover, Asp increased AMPKα phosphorylation (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

These results indicated that dietary supplementation of Asp could improve energy status in LPS-injured liver, which might result from motivating the metabolism pathway of TCA cycle and glycolysis and stimulating the AMPK signaling pathway.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31372318 and 31172222), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-10-0158), the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB126305), the Project of Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (2010CDA050 and 2013CFA029), and the Project of International Cooperation of Hubei Province (2011BFA008).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, 430023, China

    Ping Kang, Yulan Liu, Huiling Zhu, Shuang Li, Haifeng Shi, Feng Chen, Weibo Leng, Dinan Pi, Yongqing Hou & Dan Yi

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  1. Ping Kang
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  2. Yulan Liu
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  3. Huiling Zhu
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  4. Shuang Li
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Correspondence to Yulan Liu.

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Kang, P., Liu, Y., Zhu, H. et al. The effect of aspartate on the energy metabolism in the liver of weanling pigs challenged with lipopolysaccharide. Eur J Nutr 54, 581–588 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0739-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0739-3

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