Abstract
BackgroundThe redox status of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) piglets post-weaning has been poorly studied.MethodsNewborns from twenty-four sows were weighted, weaned at 21 d and fed a starter diet until sampling. Sampling was done at 14 d post-weaning. A piglet was defined as IUGR when its birth weight was 2 SD below the mean birth weight of the total population. At weaning, eighteen piglets with nearly equal body weight from each category (i.e. IUGR or normal birth weight (NBW) piglets) were selected and then allocated to two treatments, consisted of six replicates with each pen having three piglets.ResultsCompared with NBW group, IUGR significantly decreased average daily gain (P < 0.001), average daily feed intake (P = 0.003), and feed efficiency (P < 0.001) of piglets during the first two weeks post-weaning. IUGR decreased the activities of total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.019), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD, P = 0.023), and ceruloplasmin (P = 0.044) but increased the levels of malondialdehyde (P = 0.040) and protein carbonyl (P = 0.010) in plasma. Similarly, the decreased activities of T-SOD (P = 0.005), copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD, P = 0.002), and catalase (P = 0.049) was observed in the liver of IUGR piglets than these of NBW piglets. IUGR decreased hepatic Cu/Zn-SOD activity (P = 0.023) per unit of Cu/Zn-SOD protein in piglets when compared with NBW piglets. In addition, IUGR piglets exhibited the decreases in accumulation of copper in both plasma (P = 0.001) and liver (P = 0.014), as well as the concentrations of iron (P = 0.002) and zinc (P = 0.048) in liver. Compared with NBW, IUGR down-regulated mRNA expression of Cu/Zn-SOD (P = 0.021) in the liver of piglets.ConclusionsThe results indicated that IUGR impaired antioxidant capacity and resulted in oxidative damage in fully weaned piglets, which might be associated with the decreased levels of redox-active trace minerals. This study highlights the importance of redox status in IUGR offspring and provides a rationale for alleviating oxidative damage by dietary interventions aiming to supplement trace minerals and to restore redox balance in the future.
Highlights
The redox status of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) piglets post-weaning has been poorly studied
The similar effect was observed for average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.001), average daily feed intake (ADFI) (P = 0.003) and feed efficiency (FE) (P < 0.001) in IUGR piglets during the first two weeks post-weaning
IUGR significantly decreased the activities of T-superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P = 0.005), Cu/Zn-SOD (P = 0.002), and CAT (P = 0.049) in the liver of piglets compared with normal body weight group (NBW) piglets
Summary
The redox status of intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) piglets post-weaning has been poorly studied. Zhang et al Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology (2015) 6:48 investigate the metabolic changes in IUGR pigs and some novel mechanistic insights have been obtained [5, 7], but few studies have focused on the effect of IUGR on accumulation of trace minerals. The levels of these minerals and their alterations in IUGR offspring have not been studied at systems biology levels, especially during the early period post-weaning when the piglet is subjected to several stressors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of IUGR on redox status and levels of redox-active trace minerals in fully weaned piglets in order to provide a rationale for establishing new feeding strategies of IUGR offspring
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.