Abstract
Oxidative stress is increasingly being recognized as a player in the pathogenesis of intestinal pathologies, and probiotics are becoming an attractive means of addressing it. The present study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus delbrueckii (LAB) on intestinal integrity and oxidative damage in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged piglets. A total of 36 crossbred weaned piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Large Yorkshire) were randomly divided into three groups: (1) non-challenged controls (CON), (2) LPS-challenged controls (LPS), and (3) 0.2% LAB (2.01 × 1010 CFU/g) + LPS treatment (LAB + LPS). On the 29th day of the experiment, the LPS and CON groups were injected intraperitoneally with LPS and saline at 100 ug/kg body weight, respectively. The results show that the LPS-induced elevation of the serum diamine oxidase (DAO) level and small intestinal crypt depth (CD) were reversed by the dietary addition of LAB, which also markedly increased the ileal expression of tight junction proteins (occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1) in the LPS-challenged piglets. Furthermore, LAB supplementation normalized other LPS-induced changes, such as by decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) in both the serum and intestinal mucosa and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the jejunal mucosa, increasing glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in both the serum and intestinal mucosa, and increasing glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the jejunal mucosa. LAB also activated Toll-like receptor (TLR)–Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk)–nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2) signaling pathways in the intestine, suggesting that it plays a vital role in the ameliorative antioxidant capacity of weaned piglets. In summary, LAB increased intestinal integrity by improving the intestinal structure and tight junctions while enhancing antioxidant functions via the activation of the TLR–Btk–Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Highlights
Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsWeaning is an important developmental stage for newborn mammals
No significant differences were observed in the final body weight (BW), average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed-to-gain ratio among the CON, LPS, Lactobacillus delbrueckii (LAB) + LPS groups (p > 0.05)
CON—non-challenged piglets fed a basal diet; LPS—LPS-challenged piglets fed a basal diet; LAB + LPS—LPS-challenged piglets fed a basal diet supplemented with 0.2% LAB. 8OHdG—8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine; MDA—malondialdehyde; GSH—glutathione; GSSG—oxidized glutathione; CAT—catalase; GSH-Px—glutathione peroxidase; GR—glutathione reductase; SOD—superoxide dismutase
Summary
Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsWeaning is an important developmental stage for newborn mammals. Antioxidants 2021, 10, 468 changes in the environment and feed can render newborn piglets highly susceptible to different stresses during weaning. Numerous studies have shown that weaning stress induces intestinal inflammation and disturbs free-radical metabolism and antioxidant systems, resulting in severe oxidative stress [2,3]. When piglets undergo weaning stress, the expression of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) is downregulated in the intestinal mucosa, accompanied by an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content [5]. Weaned piglets tend to exhibit an enhanced intestinal permeability to endotoxins, leading to an increase in local or systemic inflammatory reactions [6,7]. Alleviating the negative effects of oxidative stress in weaned piglets is crucial for the development of the pig industry
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