Abstract
Simple SummaryInadequate nutrition of lambs during early life may compromise their health status during their whole lifetime. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of milk restriction during the suckling period on biochemical, immunological, hepatic, and ruminal parameters of fattening lambs. The results obtained reveal that early feed restriction during the suckling period of merino lambs promotes systemic metabolic disorders during the fattening phase that are not related to ruminal acidosis occurrence. This information may contribute to design strategies to enhance the health status of lambs undergoing milk restriction due to low milk production (e.g., udder problems) or lack of lamb vitality.Early postnatal nutrition may have a significant subsequent impact on metabolic disorders during the entire lifespan of lambs. The aim of the present study was to describe the changes in biochemical, immunological, hepatic, and ruminal parameters of fattening lambs derived from early feed restriction during the suckling phase. Twenty-four merino lambs (average body weight, BW, 4.81 ± 0.256 kg) were used, 12 of them were milk-fed ad libitum (ADL) remaining permanently with their dams, whereas the other 12 lambs (restricted, RES) were subjected to milk restriction. After weaning, all the lambs were fed 35 g/kg BW per day of the same complete pelleted diet to ensure no differences between groups in dry matter intake (603 vs. 607 g/day for ADL and RES lambs, respectively, p = 0.703), and were slaughtered at a BW of 27 kg. Biochemical profiles revealed higher concentrations of ceruloplasmin and low-density lipoproteins, whereas insulin concentration was lower in the RES lambs compared to the ADL group. Liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were lower in the RES lambs. No significant differences in ruminal or blood immunological parameters were found. In conclusion, early feed restriction promoted metabolic disorders not related to ruminal acidosis occurrence, which can compromise the health status during the fattening period of merino lambs.
Highlights
Exposure to undernutrition at early stages of development programs the major components of the metabolic syndrome, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in humans later in life [1].This metabolic syndrome may promote insulin resistance, visceral adiposity, obesity, and associated chronic low-grade inflammation with adverse long-term consequences on health status during the adult life [2]
Filling this gap of knowledge is extremely important, since early feed restriction can take place during the suckling period under farm conditions for several reasons, which might compromise the health status of offspring later in life. Another important issue related to metabolic disorders is the microbiota firmly attached to the ruminal epithelium, since epithelial cells are fully competent for the recognition of microbial components and secretion factors modulating the inflammatory response [4,5]
Insulin concentration was lower in RES lambs (p = 0.034), but whereas there was a significant difference between ad libitum (ADL) and RES lambs during the sucking period (579 vs. 258 ng/L), the difference was not significant (p > 0.05) for the fattening phase
Summary
Exposure to undernutrition at early stages of development programs the major components of the metabolic syndrome (e.g., altered cholesterol metabolism, atherogenic dyslipidemia, endothelialAnimals 2018, 8, 83; doi:10.3390/ani8060083 www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsAnimals 2018, 8, 83 dysfunction), increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in humans later in life [1].This metabolic syndrome may promote insulin resistance (and diabetes mellitus), visceral adiposity, obesity, and associated chronic low-grade inflammation with adverse long-term consequences on health status during the adult life [2]. Filling this gap of knowledge is extremely important, since early feed restriction can take place during the suckling period under farm conditions for several reasons (e.g., reduction of milk production of the ewe or pathologies in the udder), which might compromise the health status of offspring later in life In ruminants, another important issue related to metabolic disorders is the microbiota firmly attached to the ruminal epithelium (epimural), since epithelial cells are fully competent for the recognition of microbial components and secretion factors modulating the inflammatory response [4,5]. The epimural bacterial community seems to be less influenced by the diet than microbiota associated to digesta [7,8,9]
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