Abstract
This study investigates two levels of dietary selenium (Se) and vitamin E in combination on their status in sows and their progeny, and influence on antioxidant status and immunological responses of the piglets at weaning. Female pigs (n = 6) were provided LOW or HIGH antioxidant nutrition (Se and vitamin E) from mating until weaning of their off-spring. The HIGH treatment elevated the concentration of Se (p = 0.015) and α-tocopherol (p = 0.023) in plasma of piglets compared with piglets of the LOW treatment. Treatments also affected the concentrations of milk and sow plasma immunoglobulins. Piglets from sows on the HIGH treatment had increased (p < 0.001) activity of glutathione peroxidase, lower serum levels of C-reactive protein (p = 0.005), haptoglobin (p = 0.05) and albumin (p = 0.05), and the number of white blood cells (p = 0.023) and the ratio of NEU to LYM was lower (p = 0.025) than in piglets from sows on the LOW group. Furthermore, the dietary antioxidant level influenced responses of cytokines (interleukine (IL) 6 (p = 0.007), 12 (p = 0.01) and 18 (p = 0.01)) in piglets’ plasma. In conclusion, improved antioxidant status via dietary maternal provision improves the robustness of the offspring via immunomodulatory mechanisms.
Highlights
The role of oxidative stress and protective functions of antioxidants has gained increasing interest in relation to human and animal health and immunity
Chemical analysis showed that the LOW diets contained 0.1 mg Se and 20 mg vitamin
1.44 mg/L (SEM = 0.48) for the HIGH and the LOW treatment, respectively, when samples were pooled from day 84 of gestation until d 25 post farrowing
Summary
The role of oxidative stress and protective functions of antioxidants has gained increasing interest in relation to human and animal health and immunity. During frequently observed enteric disease processes of young animals, oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions in the gut can be observed [2]. Young animals such as pigs pre- and post-weaning have immature intestines making them very vulnerable towards invading microorganisms, and the typical reaction to an infection is localized inflammation of the gut, which appears during the immunological reaction to cope with the pathogens. A consequence of the respiratory burst appearing in parallel with the phagocytosis is that the development of reactive oxygen species may shift the balance between antioxidants and prooxidants towards oxidative stress
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