Effects of diet and arginine treatment during the luteal phase on ovarian NO/PGC-1α signaling in ewes

• Published in: Theriogenology 2017-07, Vol.96, p.76-84
• Main Authors: Guo, Yi-Xuan, Nie, Hai-Tao, Sun, Ling-Wei, Zhang, Guo-Min, Deng, Kai-Ping, Fan, Yi-Xuan, Wang, Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animals; Arginine; Arginine - administration & dosage; Arginine - pharmacology; Estrous cycle; Female; Food Deprivation - physiology; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Hu sheep; Luteal Phase - drug effects; Luteal Phase - physiology; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Ovary - physiology; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha - genetics; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha - metabolism; PGC-1α; Restriction; Sheep; Signal Transduction
• ISSN: 0093-691X; 1879-3231
• DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.03.028

The aim of this study was to determine whether arginine (Arg) supplementation of malnourished ewes affects the expression of key NO/PGC-1α signaling pathway genes in the ovary. On Day 6–15 of the estrous cycle, 24 multiparous Hu sheep (BW = 43.56 ± 1.53 kg) were randomly assigned to three groups: control group (CG; n = 6), restriction group (RG; n = 9) and l-arginine group (AG; n = 9), and administered Arg treatment (or vehicle) three times per day. The ewes were slaughtered at the end of treatment, and blood samples and ovaries were collected for analysis. The results of our analyses showed that both short-term feed-restriction and/or supplementation with L-Arg-HCl affected the number of different size follicles observed in the ovary, and the relative day of estrus behavior initiation of ewes. Specifically, the relative day of estrus behavior initiation was significantly advanced in AG compared with that in RG ewes (P