Effect of dietary β-carotene on the early embryonic development and uterine fluid composition of gilts

The role of β-carotene in reproduction was investigated in gilts assigned to three dietary supplementations: VA (4000 IU vitamin A); VA + VA (4000 IU + 8300 IU); VA + BC (4000 IU + 100 mg β-carotene) per kg diet for 14 weeks. Gilts were slaughtered at day 12 of gestation. In the VA + BC group, number of corpora lutea was lowest, but the number of embryos was greatest, resulting in a non-significant decreased prenatal mortality (p < 0.07). The proportion of less developed spherical and tubular embryos compared with filamentous was greatest in the VA + BC group (p < 0.01). No differences were observed for vitamin A and retinal binding protein (RBP) in the uterine fluid. When animals were grouped according to the development of blastocysts, vitamin A and RBP levels were higher in the VA + BC group with only filamentous embryos (p < 0.01). This indicates that the supplementation of β-carotene to gilts might affect embryonic losses possibly because of slower alterations in the uterine environment, resulting in a higher and less variable number of embryos, despite an apparently more heterogeneous development.