Abstract
BackgroundIn the past several years, the use of resistant starch (RS) as prebiotic has extensively been studied in pigs, and this mostly in the critical period around weaning. RS is believed to exert beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal tract mainly due to higher levels of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and an improved microbiota profile. In this study, sows were fed digestible starch (DS) or RS during late gestation and lactation and the possible maternal effect of RS on the overall health of the progeny was assessed. Since RS is also described to have a positive effect on metabolism, and to investigate a metabolic programming of the progeny, half of the piglets per maternal diet were assigned to a high fat diet from weaning on to 10 weeks after.ResultsNo bodyweight differences were found between the four experimental piglet groups. The high fat diet did however impact back fat thickness and meat percentage whereas maternal diet did not influence these parameters. The impact of the high fat diet was also reflected in higher levels of serum cholesterol. No major differences in microbiota could be distinguished, although higher levels of SCFA were seen in the colon of piglets born from RS fed sows, and some differences in SCFA production were observed in the caecum, mainly due to piglet diet. RNA-sequencing on liver and colon scrapings revealed minor differences between the maternal diet groups. Merely a handful of genes was differentially expressed between piglets from DS and RS sows, and network analysis showed only one significant cluster of genes in the liver due to the maternal diet that did not point to meaningful biological pathways. However, the high fat diet resulted in liver gene clusters that were significantly correlated with piglet diet, of which one is annotated for lipid metabolic processes. These clusters were not correlated with maternal diet.ConclusionsThere is only a minor impact of maternal dietary RS on the progeny, reflected in SCFA changes. A high fat diet given to the progeny directly evokes metabolic changes in the liver, without any maternal programming by a RS diet.
Highlights
In the past several years, the use of resistant starch (RS) as prebiotic has extensively been studied in pigs, and this mostly in the critical period around weaning
Piglet performance at the time of weaning, measured by body weight and intestinal morphology, did not expose any improvements [16]. We found that this absence of weight differences continued every week after weaning till 10 weeks post-weaning, even when piglets were provided a high fat diet
In conclusion, no clear effect of maternal dietary RS with regard to gut health could be translated to the progeny when given during late gestation and lactation
Summary
In the past several years, the use of resistant starch (RS) as prebiotic has extensively been studied in pigs, and this mostly in the critical period around weaning. In the past several years, diet supplementation with resistant starch (RS), which acts as prebiotic, has extensively been studied in the pig industry. Prebiotics escape enzymatic digestion due to their chemical and physical properties and are fermented in the large intestine There, they can promote the establishment of beneficial microbiota [1]. Fermentation of RS results in an increased amount of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) These SCFAs, of which butyrate is the most beneficial for health, are able to prevent the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, and endorse healthpromoting bacteria [3]. Fan et al [6] found that a diet rich in RS would increase colonic IL10 abundance, which may protect the colon from developing inflammation
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