Table 3.
Effects of dietary L-arginine and N-carbamylglutamate supplementation on the BW, liver weight, DNA contents, protein : DNA ratio, apoptotic cell numbers, and the proliferation index in the liver of IUGR suckling lambs.
| Item | CON | IUGR | IUGR+1%Arg | IUGR+0.1%NCG | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial weight (kg) | 4.25 ± 0.11a | 3.01 ± 0.13b | 2.9 ± 0.149b | 3.03 ± 0.10b | 0.014 |
| Final weight (kg) | 7.66 ± 0.28a | 5.41 ± 0.23c | 6.01 ± 0.29b | 6.04 ± 0.30b | 0.008 |
| Liver weight (g) | 172.65 ± 12.13a | 115.65 ± 12.43c | 135.78 ± 13.03b | 137.26 ± 11.17b | 0.008 |
| Liver weight/BW (%) | 2.25 ± 0.06 | 2.15 ± 0.07 | 2.26 ± 0.08 | 2.27 ± 0.09 | 0.109 |
| DNA contents (mg) | 2753 ± 88a | 1376 ± 91c | 2008 ± 86b | 2089 ± 81b | 0.006 |
| Protein : DNA ratio | 12.09 ± 0.67a | 7.01 ± 0.61c | 9.98 ± 0.65b | 10.12 ± 0.71b | 0.011 |
| Proliferation index (%) | 6.96 ± 0.27a | 3.09 ± 0.35c | 4.99 ± 0.32b | 5.01 ± 0.29b | 0.008 |
| Apoptotic cell per HPF | 241 ± 10c | 367 ± 15a | 304 ± 11b | 298 ± 13b | 0.006 |
Mean values with their standard errors of the mean (SEM), n = 12/group. a,b,cWithin a row, means without a common superscript letter differ (P < 0.05). HPF: high-power field (×400); CON: the normal birth weight group given a control diet; IUGR: the IUGR group given a control diet; IUGR+Arg: the IUGR group given a L-arginine-supplemented diet; IUGR+NCG: the IUGR group given a N-carbamylglutamate-supplemented diet.