ascorbate-2-phosphate and Weight-Gain

Effects of dietary ascorbyl-2-phosphate on immune function after a 210-km trip were measured in 18 Holstein heifers. After transport on d 0, 10 g of ascorbyl-2-phosphate each were added to the diets of 10 heifers, whereas eight heifers were fed a control diet. Plasma cortisol concentrations increased by an average of 25.6 microgram/ml on d 0 following transport, but by d 7 after transport had decreased to pretransport levels. Average daily gain was lower in heifers fed ascorbyl-2-phosphate from d 28 to 49 d after transport, but did not differ over the entire study. Feeding ascorbyl-2-phosphate maintained plasma ascorbate concentrations on d 7 post-transport, which decreased in control heifers. Plasma keyhole limpet hemocyanin antibody titers were significantly higher in control heifers from d 7 to 49. Mononuclear leukocyte proliferation responses were decreased on d 0 in lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens, with pokeweed mitogen-stimulated cells showing less of a response than cells stimulated by the other mitogens. In the absence of mitogens, dietary ascorbyl-2-phosphate increased basal 3H-methyl thymidine incorporation by cultured lymphocytes. Across diets and mitogens, lymphocytes treated with cortisol showed decreased 3H-methyl thymidine incorporation. Transportation acted as a stressor, as evidenced by the increased plasma cortisol levels at d 0 immediately after transport, but immunological effects were not apparent by d 7. Feeding ascorbyl-2-phosphate maintained plasma ascorbate concentrations on d 7, but had negative effects on immune responses posttransport.

Topics: Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Body Weight; Cattle; Cell Division; Cells, Cultured; Diet; Female; Hydrocortisone; Immunity; Immunoglobulin G; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Lymphocytes; Mitogens; Transportation; Weight Gain

We conducted two experiments to evaluate the efficacy of a stable source of vitamin C for improving performance and iron status in early-weaned pigs. A preparation of L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Rovimix Stay-C 25, Roche Vitamins, Ames, IA and Bramus, NJ), which supplies 25% ascorbic acid activity in a stable form, served as the vitamin C source and was incorporated at dietary vitamin C levels of 0, 75, or 150 ppm. In Exp. 1, 72 pigs (14 +/- 2 d of age and 4.98 kg BW) were blocked based on initial BW and penned in groups of three (eight pens per treatment) in an off-site nursery for 42 d. Phase 1 lasted from d 0 to 14, Phase 2 from d 14 to 28, and Phase 3 from d 28 to 42 after weaning. Daily gain and gain:feed ratio (G/F) increased during Phase 1 (quadratic, P < .1 and P < .05, respectively), Phase 3 (linear, P < .1 and P < .01, respectively), and for the overall 42-d experiment (linear, P < .05 and P < .1, respectively) in response to increasing dietary vitamin C. At 14 d after weaning, plasma vitamin C increased (linear, P < .05) with increasing dietary vitamin C, but plasma iron, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were not influenced by dietary vitamin C. In Exp. 2, 120 pigs (20 +/- 3 d of age and 7.2 kg BW) were blocked based on initial BW and penned in groups of five (eight pens per treatment) in a conventional nursery system for 31 d. Phase 1 consisted of d 0 to 7, Phase 2 from d 7 to 17, and Phase 3 from d 17 to 31 after weaning. During the period from d 0 to 17 after weaning, ADG and G/F were improved (linear, P < .1) with increasing dietary vitamin C. At d 17 after weaning, plasma vitamin C and serum iron increased (linear, P < .05), but unbound iron-binding capacity and total iron-binding capacity decreased (linear, P < .05 and P < .1, respectively) with increasing dietary vitamin C. These results suggest that dietary vitamin C is needed during the first 42 d after weaning when pigs are weaned as early as 12 d of age and reared in an off-site nursery and during the first 17 d after weaning when pigs are weaned as early as 17 d of age and reared in a conventional nursery system. L-Ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate at a supplemental level of 75 ppm was adequate to meet the dietary vitamin C requirement of early-weaned pigs. Vitamin C supplementation with a stable product will improve performance in young pigs during the high-stress postweaning period and may be particularly beneficial to pigs weaned at a very early age.

Topics: Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Diet; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Stability; Eating; Female; Iron; Male; Random Allocation; Swine; Weaning; Weight Gain

Two experiments were conducted, one with weanling pigs (n = 288) and the second with grower-finisher swine (n = 216), to evaluate the efficacy of dietary vitamin C on various performance and serum measurements. Magnesium-L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (46% L-ascorbic acid) served as the vitamin C source and was incorporated at dietary levels of 0, 50, or 500 ppm in both experiments. Pigs were allotted by sex, weight, and litter to randomized complete block designs. The nursery trial was conducted at four time periods and contained 12 replicates, whereas the grower-finisher experiment was over four time periods and contained nine replicates. Blood samples were collected initially from nine randomly selected pigs in both experiments, and from each pig within each pen at 2 and 5 wk postweaning, and at the 4- and 8-wk period in the grower-finisher trial. A killed Salmonella typhinurium bacterin was injected i.m. into starter pigs at 2 wk postweaning and at wk 4 and 6 in grower-finisher pigs. Hemagglutination titers were evaluated at 5 wk with the nursery pigs and at the 8-wk period with the grower-finisher swine. At the end of the grower-finisher trial, liver and kidney tissue were analyzed for ascorbate. Starter pigs grew faster (P < .05) and had improved gain:feed ratios (P < .05) when vitamin C was provided during the first 2 wk postweaning, but not during the latter 3-wk period. There was no improvement in pig gain or feed efficiency to vitamin C supplementation during any phase of the grower-finisher period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial; Ascorbic Acid; Dehydroascorbic Acid; Drug Stability; Eating; Female; Glutathione Peroxidase; Male; Random Allocation; Salmonella typhimurium; Swine; Weaning; Weight Gain