Table 6.

Effects of dietary L-arginine and N-carbamylglutamate supplementation on the caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 activities, and the levels of cytochrome C in the liver of IUGR suckling lambs.

Item	CON	IUGR	IUGR+1%Arg	IUGR+0.1% NCG	P value
Caspase-3	5.36 ± 0.31c	10.14 ± 0.56a	7.65 ± 0.47b	7.59 ± 0.39b	0.009
Caspase-8	5.11 ± 0.13b	8.56 ± 0.21a	5.08 ± 0.07b	5.29 ± 0.11b	0.015
Caspase-9	4.28 ± 0.21b	7.47 ± 0.33a	5.74 ± 0.19ab	5.86 ± 0.21ab	0.022
Cytochrome C (mmol/L)	0.17 ± 0.02b	0.24 ± 0.08a	0.20 ± 0.05ab	0.21 ± 0.03ab	0.018

Mean values with their SEM, n = 12 in each group. ^a,b,cMean values within a row with different superscript letters were significantly different (P < 0.05). CON: the normal birth weight group given a control diet; IUGR: the intrauterine growth retardation group given a control diet; IUGR+Arg: the intrauterine growth retardation group given a L-arginine-supplemented diet; IUGR+NCG: the intrauterine growth retardation group given a N-carbamylglutamate-supplemented diet.