Gastrointestinal Tissue Distribution of β-Conglycinin in Pigs at Different Growth Stages

Abstract

Soybean allergens may cross the gastrointestinal tissue and induce allergy, and their gastrointestinal tissue distribution could provide the basis of the allergic mechanism to some extent. But the relevant literatures for β-conglycinin are scarce. In the current study, the variation of β-conglycinin in<i> </i>gastrointestinal tissue <i>in vivo</i> was investigated using pigs as animal model in order to compare the distribution differences of β-conglycinin between the growth stages. Fifteen General No.1 barrows weaned on the 28th day were selected to carry out the animal experiments of three ages including weanling, growing and finishing stage. Pigs were fed diets with 4% purified β-conglycinin in experimental periods. The immunohistochemistry method was performed to detect the gastrointestinal distribution of β-conglycinin. The results indicated that there was a significant difference on the gastrointestinal mucosal distribution of β-conglycinin between pigs of different ages. The β-conglycinin went up from stomach to dedodenum, then slightly dropped until proximal-jejunum, and kept to rise until ileum for piglets (<i>P</i><0.001). It from stomach to distal-jejunum increased slowly, but fell sharply for growers and finishers (<i>P</i><0.001). The highest content of β-conglycinin was in the deodenum and ileum for piglets, and in distal-jejunum for growers and finishers (<i>P</i><0.05). The β-conglycinin in intestinal villi and mucosa had similar distribution variation. The distribution of β-conglycinin in intestinal villi and crypt were not affected by growth phase.