Location: Agroecosystems Management Research
Project Number: 5030-31000-007-010-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2020
End Date: Jun 30, 2022
Objective:
Determine the inherent variation in oxidative stress measures in gestating and lactating sows and correlation to measures of sow lifetime productivity.
Approach:
Three groups of parity 0 gilts (60 each) will be evaluated for oxidative stress by obtaining blood at 4 critical periods during gestation and lactation: day 45 (baseline measures of oxidative stress status and confirmed pregnant), day -5 farrowing (critical time due to lowest reported alpha-tocopherol and highest reported DNA damage), day +5 farrowing (critical time relative to potential sow death loss during farrowing), and day +5 weaning (critical time relative to rebreeding). Each of these 60 sows will then be re-sampled at these same reproductive timepoints during the next two parities. Plasma will be measured for reactive oxygen species and antioxidant capacity using commercially available assay kits. All oxidative stress data will then be related to various measures of sow lifetime productivity.
