Effect of Sweet Potato Vine on the Onset of Puberty and Follicle Development in Chinese Meishan Gilts

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Sweet potato vine, as a by-product of sweet potato, has been previously used for various purposes in southern China. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sweet potato vine on the onset of puberty and follicular development in the ovaries of Chinese Meishan gilts. Our results suggested that sweet potato vine supplementation delayed puberty onset and improved the follicular development, which was associated with enhanced reproductive performance in Chinese Meishan gilts. ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of sweet potato vine on the onset of puberty and the follicular development in the ovaries of Chinese Meishan gilts. A total of 20 Meishan gilts (initial body weight at 30 ± 0.18 kg) were randomly fed a control (CON) or sweet potato vine (SPV) supplemented diet until 19 days following the third estrous. Sweet potato vine was instead of part of basal diet with the same amount of energy and protein in the sweet potato vine group. The results indicate that gilts fed with sweet potato vine reached puberty 9.4 days later. The development of ovaries was enhanced by sweet potato vine supplementation, characterized by an increase (p < 0.05) in the relative weight of the ovaries and the number of large follicles (>5 mm). Sweet potato vine supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and reduced (p < 0.05) the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum of the gilts. Also, the expression of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) and luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) mRNA in the granulosa cells from the large follicle (>5 mm) of gilts in the SPV group were increased (p < 0.05) as compared with the CON group. These results indicate that gilts fed with sweet potato vine exhibited delayed puberty as well as improved follicular development, which may contribute to the reproductive performance of Chinese Meishan gilts.