Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T07:26:34.009Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Salt intake and reproductive function in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2011

S. N. Digby ,
M. A. Chadwick  and
D. Blache
S. N. Digby*
Affiliation:
Discipline of Agricultural and Animal Science, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre M081, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
M. A. Chadwick
Affiliation:
CSIRO Livestock Industries, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia School of Animal Biology M085, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre M081, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
D. Blache
Affiliation:
School of Animal Biology M085, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre M081, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Producers have the possibility to combat human-induced dryland salinity by planting salt-tolerant plants such as saltbush. Saltbush has the potential to be used as a source of food for livestock at a time and place where pasture is not viable. However, saltbush contains high concentrations of sodium chloride salt and some other anti-nutritional factors that have the potential to affect feed and water intake and, directly or indirectly, the reproductive capacity of sheep. High-salt diet during gestation induces a small modification of the activity of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that has an important role in the maintenance of the salt-water balance in non-pregnant and pregnant sheep. In contrast, the main effect of salt ingestion during pregnancy is observed on the biology of the offspring, with changes in the response of the RAS to salt ingestion and altered thirst threshold in response to an oral salt ingestion. These changes, observed later in life, are the result of fetal programming following the ingestion of salt by the mother. It seems that the exposure to salt during pregnancy could provide an advantage to the offspring because of this adaptive response. The response may be particularly useful, for example, when grazing herbivores are fed halophytic forages adapted to saline soils.

Keywords

high saltappetiterenin-angiotensin systemfetal programming
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 8 , August 2011 , pp. 1207 - 1216
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Zanat, MW, Ruyleb, GB, Abdel-Hamid, NF 2004. Increasing range production from fodder shrubs in low rainfall areas. Journal of Arid Environment 59, 205–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arguelles, J, Lopez-Sela, P, Brime, JI, Costales, M, Vijande, M 1996. Changes of blood pressure responsiveness in rats exposed in utero and perinatally to a high-salt environment. Regulatory Peptides 66, 113–115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arieli, ML, Naim, E, Benjamin, RW, Pasternak, D 1989. The effect of feeding saltbush and sodium chloride on energy metabolism in sheep. Animal Production 49, 451–457.Google Scholar
August, P. 2000. The renin angiotensin system in hypertensive pregnancy. In: Handbook of hypertension. Hypertension in pregnancy (ed. PC Rubin), vol. 21, pp. 57–73. Elsevier Science B.V.Google Scholar
Australian Standing Committee on Agriculture and Resource Management 1990. Feeding standards for Australian livestock Ruminants. CISRO Victoria, Australia.Google Scholar
Beausejour, A, Auger, K, St-Louis, J, Brochu, M 2003. High-sodium intake prevents pregnancy-induced decrease of blood pressure in the rat. American Journal of Physiology – Heart, Circulation and Physiology 285, H374–H383.Google ScholarPubMed
Blache, D, Chagas, LM, Martin, GB 2007a. Nutritional inputs into the reproductive neuroendocrine control system – a multidimensional perspective. In Reproduction in domestic ruminants VI (ed. JI Juengel, JF Murray and MF Smith), pp. 123–139. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, UK.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blache, D, Grandison, MJ, Masters, DG, Dynes, RA, Blackberry, MA, Martin, GA 2007b. Relationships between metabolic endocrine systems and voluntary feed intake in Merino sheep fed a high salt diet. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47, 544–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blackburn, ST 2003. Maternal, fetal and neonatal physiology – a clinical perspective. Chapter 10: renal system and fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. Saunders Publishing, St. Louis, USA.Google Scholar
Breier, BH, Vickers, MH, Ikenasio, BA, Chan, KY, Wong, WPS 2001. Fetal programming of appetite and obesity. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 185, 73–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, MA, Nicholson, E, Gallery, EDM 1988. Sodium-renin-aldosterone relations in normal and hypertensive pregnancy. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 95, 1237–1246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butler, DG, Pak, SH, Midgely, A, Nemati, B 2002. AT (1) receptor blockade with losartan during gestation in Wistar rats leads to an increase in thirst and sodium appetite in their adult female offspring. Regulatory Peptides 105, 47–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, RG 1988. Nutritional constraints to lean tissue accretion in farm animals. Nutrition Research Reviews 1, 233–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, RG, Tavener, MR, Curic, DM 1984. Effect of feeding level and dietary protein content on the growth, body composition and rate of protein deposition in pigs growing from 45 to 90 kg. Animal Production 38, 233–240.Google Scholar
Chadwick, MZ, Vercoe, PE, Williams, IH, Revell, DK 2009a. Feeding pregnant ewes a high salt-diet or saltbush suppressed their offspring's postnatal renin activity. Animal 3, 972–979.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chadwick, MA, Vercoe, PE, Williams, IH, Revell, DK 2009b. Dietary exposure of pregnant ewes to salt dictates how their offspring respond to salt. Physiology and Behavior 97, 437–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chadwick, MA, Vercoe, PE, Williams, IH, Revell, DK 2009c. Programming sheep production on saltbush: adaptations of offspring from ewes that consumed high amounts of salt during pregnancy. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 49, 311–317.Google Scholar
Contreras, RJ, Kosten, T 1983. Prenatal and early postnatal sodium chloride intake modifies the solution preferences of adult rats. Journal of Nutrition 113, 1051–1062.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowley, AW Jr, Skelton, MM, Merrill, DC 1986. Osmoregulation during high salt intake: relative importance of drinking and vasopressin secretion. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 251, R878–R886.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Curtis, KS, Krause, EG, Wong, DL, Contreras, RJ 2004. Gestational and early postnatal dietary NaCl levels affect NaCl intake, but not stimulated water intake, by adult rats. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 286, R1043–R1050.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
da Silva, AA, de Noronha, IL, de Oliveira, IB, Malheiros, DM, Heimann, JC 2003. Renin angiotensin system function and blood pressure in adult rats after perinatal salt overload. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease 13, 133–139.Google ScholarPubMed
Davison, JM, Lindheimer, MD 1989. Volume homeostasis and osmoregulation in human pregnancy. Baillieres Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 3, 451–472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Desai, M, Guerra, C, Wang, S, Ross, MG 2003. Programming of hypertonicity in neonatal lambs: resetting of threshold for vasopressin secretion. Endocrinology 144, 4332–4337.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Digby, SN, Masters, DG, Blache, D, Hynd, PI, Revell, DK 2010a. Offspring born to ewes fed high salt during pregnancy have altered responses to oral salt loads. Animal 4, 81–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Digby, SN, Masters, DG, Blache, D, Revell, DK 2010b. Responses to saline drinking water in offspring born to ewes fed high salt during pregnancy. Small Ruminant Research 91, 87–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Digby, SN, Masters, DG, Blache, D, Blackberry, MA, Hynd, PI, Revell, DK 2008. Reproductive capacity of Merino ewes fed a high-salt diet. Animal 2, 1353–1360.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fowden, AL, Giussani, DA, Forhead, AJ 2006. Intrauterine programming of physiological systems: causes and consequences. Physiology 21, 29–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Franklin-McEvoy, J 2002. Improving the performance of sheep grazing on saltbush. Honours PhD University of Adelaide, Australia.Google Scholar
Gatford, KL, Simmons, RA, DeBlasio, MJ, Robinson, JS, Owens, JA 2010. Review: placental programming of postnatal diabetes and impaired insulin action after IUGR. Placenta 31 (suppl. 24), S60–S65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghassemi, F, Jakeman, AJ, Nix, HA 1995. Salinisation of land and water resources. CAB International Publishing, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Hamilton, JA, Webster, MED 1987. Food intake, water intake, urine output, growth rate and wool growth of lambs accustomed to high or low intake of sodium chloride. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 38, 187–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hemsley, JA, Hogan, JP, Weston, RH 1975. Effect of high intakes of sodium chloride on the utilisation of a protein concentrate by sheep. II Digestion and absorption of organic matter and electrolytes. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 26, 715–727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hohlbrugger, G, Schweisfurth, H, Dahlheim, H 1982. Angiotensin I converting enzyme in rat testis, epididymis and vas deferens under different conditions. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 65, 97–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hopkins, DL, Nicholson, A 1999. Meat quality of wether lambs grazed on saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) plus supplements or lucerne (Medicago sativa). Meat Science 51, 91–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kraidees, MS, Abouheif, MA, Al-Saiady, MY, Tag-Eldin, A, Metwally, H 1998. The effect of dietary inclusion of halophyte Salicornia bigelovii Torr on growth performance and carcass characteristics of lambs. Animal Feed Science and Technology 76, 149–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leung, PS, Sernia, C 2003. The renin-angiotensin system and male reproduction: new functions for old hormones. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 30, 263–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lumbers, ER, Stevens, AD 1983. Changes in fetal renal function in response to infusions of a hyperosmotic solution of mannitol to the ewe. Journal of Physiology 343, 439–446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lumbers, ER, Burrell, JH, Stevens, AD, Bernasconi, C 1996. Responses of fetal sheep to reduced maternal renal blood flow and maternal hypertension. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 271, R1691–R1700.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martinez-Beltran, J, Manzur, CL 2005. Overview of salinity problems in the world and FAO strategies to address the problem. Proceedings of the International Salinity Forum, Riverside, California, April 2005, pp. 311–313.Google Scholar
Masters, DG, Norman, HC, Dynes, RA 2001. Opportunities and limitations for animal production from saline lands. Asian-Australian Journal of Animal Science 14, 199–211.Google Scholar
Masters, DG, Rintoul, AJ, Dynes, RA, Pearce, KL, Norman, HC 2005. Feed intake and production in sheep fed diets high in sodium and potassium. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, 427–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIntosh, GH, Potter, BJ 1972. The influence of 1.3% saline ingestion upon pregnancy in the ewe and lamb survival. Proceedings of the Australian Physiology and Pharmacological Society 3, 61.Google Scholar
Meintjes, RA, Olivier, R 1992. The effects of salt loading via two different routes on feed intake, body water turnover rate and electrolyte excretion in sheep. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research 59, 91–96.Google ScholarPubMed
Meyer, JH, Weir, WC 1954. The tolerance of sheep to high intake of sodium chloride. Journal of Animal Science 13, 445–449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milton, I, Lee, M, Calvin, J, Oakes, G 1983. Dietary sodium manipulation and vascular responsiveness during pregnancy in the rabbit. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 146, 930–934.Google Scholar
Mistretta, CM, Bradley, RM 1983. Neural basis of developing salt taste sensation: response changes in fetal, postnatal and adult sheep. Journal of Comparative Neurology 215, 199–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mohamed, MO, Phillips, CJC 2003. The effect of increasing salt intake of pregnant dairy cows on the salt appetite and growth of their calves. Animal Science 77, 181–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moritz, KM, Dodic, M, Wintour, EM 2003. Kidney development and the fetal programming of adult disease. Bioessays 25, 212–220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norman, HC, Freind, C, Masters, DG, Rintoul, AJ, Dynes, RA, Williams, IH 2004. Variation between two saltbush species in plant composition and subsequent selection by sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55, 999–1007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ozanne, SE 2001. Metabolic programming in animals. British Medical Bulletin 60, 143–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parmentier, M, Inagami, T, Poschet, R, Desclin, JC 1983. Pituitary dependent renin-like immunoreactivity in rat testis. Endocrinology 112, 1318–1323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parr, RA 1992. Nutrition-progesterone interactions during early pregnancy in sheep. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 4, 297–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parr, RA, Davis, IF, Miles, MA, Squires, TJ 1993a. Feed intake affects metabolic clearance of progesterone in sheep. Research in Veterinary Science 55, 306–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parr, RA, Davis, IF, Miles, MA, Squires, TJ 1993b. Liver blood flow and metabolic clearance rate of progesterone in sheep. Research in Veterinary Science 55, 311–316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearce, KL, Pethick, DW, Masters, DG 2008. The effect of ingesting a saltbush and barley ration on the carcass and eating quality of sheepmeat. Animal 2, 479–490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearce, K, Masters, DG, Friend, C, Rintoul, A, Pethick, DW 2002. Wool growth and liveweight gain in sheep fed a saltbush and barley ration. Animal Production in Australia 24, 337.Google Scholar
Pearce, KL, Masters, DG, Smith, GM, Jacob, RH, Pethick, DW 2005. Plasma and tissue α-tocopherol concentrations and meat colour stability in sheep grazing saltbush (Atriplex spp.). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, 663–672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peirce, AW 1957. Studies on salt tolerance of sheep. I. The tolerance of sheep for sodium chloride in the drinking water. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 8, 711–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peirce, AW 1968. Studies on salt tolerance of sheep. VIII. The tolerance of grazing ewes and their lambs for drinking water of the types obtained from underground sources in Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 19, 589–595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, BJ 1963. The effect of saline water on kidney tubular function and electrolyte excretion in sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 14, 518–528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, BJ 1968. The influence of previous salt ingestion on the renal function of sheep subjected to intravenous hypertonic saline. Journal of Physiology 194, 435–455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Potter, BJ, McIntosh, GH 1974. Effect of salt water ingestion on pregnancy in the ewe and on lamb survival. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 25, 909–917.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, BJ, Walker, DJ, Forrest, WW 1972. Changes in intraruminal function of sheep when drinking saline water. British Journal of Nutrition 25, 75–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rafestin-Oblin, ME, Couette, B, Barlet-Bas, C, Cheval, L, Viger, A, Doucet, A 1991. Renal action of progesterone and 18-substituted derivatives. American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology 260, F828–F832.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rengasamy, P 2006. World salinization with emphasis on Australia. Journal of Experimental Botany 57, 1017–1023.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rurak, DW 2001. Chapter 2: Development and function of the placenta. In Fetal growth and development (ed. R Harding and AD Bocking), pp. 17–43. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Schwartz, J, Morrison, JL 2005. Impact and mechanisms of fetal physiological programming. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 288, R11–R15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Searle, TW, Graham, N, Donnelly, JB 1982. The effect of plane of nutrition on the body composition of two breeds of weaner sheep fed a high protein diet. Journal of Agriculutral Science 98, 241–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smriga, M, Kameishi, M, Torii, K 2002. Brief exposure to NaCl during early postnatal development enhances adult intake of sweet and salty compounds. Neuroreport 13, 2565–2569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Speth, RC, Daubert, DL, Grove, KL 1999. Angiotensin II: a reproductive hormone too? Regulatory Peptides 79, 25–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stevens, AD, Lumbers, ER 1986. Effect on maternal and fetal renal function and plasma renin activity of a high salt intake by the ewe. Journal of Developmental Physiology 8, 267–275.Google ScholarPubMed
Symonds, ME, Stephenson, T, Gardner, DS, Budge, H 2007. Long-term effects of nutritional programming of the embryo and fetus: mechanisms and critical windows. Reproduction Fertility and Development 19, 53–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, DJ, Potter, BJ, Jones, GB 1971. Modification of carcase characteristics in sheep maintained on a saline water regime. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandary 11, 14–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warren, BE, Bunny, CJ, Bryant, ER 1990. A preliminary examination of the nutritive value of four saltbush (Atriplex) species. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 18, 424–427.Google Scholar
Webley, L 2007. Archaeological evidence for pastoralist land-use and settlement in Namaqualand over the last 2000 years. Journal of Arid Environments 70, 629–640.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wells, JCK 2002. Thermal environment and human birth weight. Journal of Theoretical Biology 214, 413–425.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilkes, BM, Krim, E, Mento, PF 1985. Evidence for a functional renin-angiotensin system in full-term fetoplacental unit. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism 249, E366–E373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, AH, Cumming, IA 1982. Inverse relationship between concentration of progesterone and nutrition in ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science 98, 517–522.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, AD 1966a. The value of Atriplex (saltbush) and Kochia (bluebush) species as food for sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 17, 147–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, AD 1966b. The intake and excretion of sodium by sheep fed on species of Atriplex (saltbush) and Kochia (bluebush). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 17, 155–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, AD 1966c. The tolerance of sheep to sodium chloride in food or drinking water. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 17, 503–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, AD, Dudzinski, ML 1973. Influence of the concentration and volume of saline water on the food intake of sheep and on their excretion of sodium and water in urine and faeces. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 17, 245–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, AD, Hindley, NL 1968. Effect of restricted access to water on the intake of salty foods by Merino and Border Leicester sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 19, 597–604.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, M, Morganti, AA, Zervoudakis, I, Letcher, RL, Romney, BM, Von Oeyon, P, Papera, S, Sealey, JE, Laragh, JH 1980. Blood pressure, the renin-aldosterone system and sex steroids throughout normal pregnancy. American Journal of Medicine 68, 97–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wube, T, Haim, A, Fares, F 2009. Effect of increased dietary salinity on the reproductive status and energy intake of xeric and mesic populations of the spiny mouse, Acomys. Physiology and Behavior 96, 122–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zygoyiannis, D 2006. Sheep production in the world and in Greece. Small Ruminant Research 62, 143–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar