Abstract Β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is one of the leucine metabolites with protein anabolic effects which makes it very popular among athletes. Previously, it was shown that HMB administered during the prenatal period reduced the pool of primordial follicles and increased the proportion of developing follicles in newborn piglets. This work is a further step to understand these morphological alterations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of prenatal HMB treatment on the expression of the Kit ligand, BMP-4, bFGF, and the IGF-1/IGF-1R system which are the main growth factors controlling follicular development. Excised ovaries from 12 newborn piglets, originated from the control (n=6) and HMB-treated (n=6) sows were used for immunohistochemical and western-blot analysis. The tested proteins were localized within egg nests and ovarian follicles. Furthermore, the western-blot assay indicated higher BMP-4, Kit ligand, and IGF-1R expression, while the level of bFGF and IGF-1 proteins decreased after HMB dietary treatment. These findings show that HMB included into sow diet can modulate the expression of growth factors and thereby alter ovarian morphology in offspring. Therefore, this study opens a discussion about the benefits and risks of the diet supplemented with HMB and its potential application in medicine and animal husbandry, and further research is necessary in this area.

中文翻译：

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产前暴露于 β-羟基-β-甲基丁酸盐 (HMB) 的仔猪卵巢中生长因子对卵泡生成的调节

摘要 Β-羟基-β-甲基丁酸（HMB）是亮氨酸代谢产物之一，具有蛋白质合成代谢作用，深受运动员喜爱。以前的研究表明，在产前期间施用 HMB 会减少原始卵泡的数量，并增加新生仔猪中发育卵泡的比例。这项工作是了解这些形态变化的进一步步骤。因此，本研究的目的是检查产前 HMB 治疗对 Kit 配体、BMP-4、bFGF 和 IGF-1/IGF-1R 系统表达的影响，这些是控制卵泡发育的主要生长因子。来自对照 (n=6) 和 HMB 处理的 (n=6) 母猪的 12 头新生仔猪的切除卵巢用于免疫组织化学和蛋白质印迹分析。测试的蛋白质位于卵巢和卵泡内。此外，蛋白质印迹分析表明 BMP-4、Kit 配体和 IGF-1R 表达更高，而 HMB 饮食处理后 bFGF 和 IGF-1 蛋白的水平降低。这些发现表明，母猪日粮中包含的 HMB 可以调节生长因子的表达，从而改变后代的卵巢形态。因此，本研究开启了关于添加 HMB 的饮食的益处和风险及其在医学和畜牧业中的潜在应用的讨论，并有必要在该领域进一步研究。这些发现表明，母猪日粮中包含的 HMB 可以调节生长因子的表达，从而改变后代的卵巢形态。因此，本研究开启了关于添加 HMB 的饮食的益处和风险及其在医学和畜牧业中的潜在应用的讨论，并有必要在该领域进一步研究。这些发现表明，母猪日粮中包含的 HMB 可以调节生长因子的表达，从而改变后代的卵巢形态。因此，本研究开启了关于添加 HMB 的饮食的益处和风险及其在医学和畜牧业中的潜在应用的讨论，并有必要在该领域进一步研究。