Comparative metabolome profiling of serum and urine from sows with a high prevalence of piglet mummification and normal sows at different stages of pregnancy

Abstract

The number of live births is a critical indicator of the performance of sows and is also a significant factor in determining the economic benefits of pig breeding. Mummified piglets are an important challenge affecting production efficiency in the pig industry. However, the value of metabolomics in unraveling the mechanisms of piglet mummification has not yet been established. This study aimed to investigate the serum and urine metabolomes of sows to identify biomarkers of piglet mummification. During gestation (35th, 56th, 77th, and 98th), serum and urine samples were collected from eight pigs from each group. To assess changes in metabolite classes in serum and urine from sows with a high incidence of mummified piglets and normal sows, a combination of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics profiling approach was used. The identified metabolites were involved in taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and bile secretion. A total of six potential markers related to piglet mummification were screened, including hypotaurine, taurodeoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, arginine, glutamic acid, and proline. These metabolites are expected to be novel biomarkers of piglet mummification, although their use requires further validation.