Abstract
The experiment investigated the effect of maternal dietary supplementation of seaweed-derived polysaccharides (SDP) (-SDP v. +SDP, n 20) from day 83 of gestation until weaning (day 28) on selected sow faeces and piglet digesta microbiota populations, piglet small-intestinal morphology, and intestinal nutrient transporter and inflammatory cytokine gene expression at birth, 48h after birth and weaning. The effect of maternal dietary treatment on the piglet gene expression profile of inflammatory cytokines in the colon following a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge was also investigated. Dietary SDP reduced sow faecal Enterobacteriaceae gene numbers at parturition. Small-intestinal morphology, nutrient transporter and cytokine gene expression in newborn piglets did not differ between maternal dietary treatments (P>0·10). At 48h after birth, sodium-glucose-linked transporter 1 gene expression was down-regulated in the ileum of piglets suckling the SDP-supplemented sows compared with those suckling the basal sows (P=0·050). There was a SDP×LPS challenge interaction on IL-1 and IL-6 gene expression in the colon of piglets (P<0·05). The gene expression of IL-1 and IL-6 was down-regulated in the LPS-challenged colon of piglets suckling the SDP sows compared with those suckling the basal sows (P<0·05). However, there was no difference in IL-1 and IL-6 gene expression in the unchallenged colon between treatment groups. At weaning, piglets suckling the SDP-supplemented sows had increased villus height in the jejunum and ileum compared with those suckling the basal-fed sows (P<0·05). In conclusion, maternal dietary SDP supplementation enhanced the immune response of suckling piglets and improved gut morphology, making them more immune competent to deal with post-weaning adversities.
Highlights
The experiment investigated the effect of maternal dietary supplementation of seaweed-derived polysaccharides (SDP) (–SDP v. +SDP, n 20) from day 83 of gestation until weaning on selected sow faeces and piglet digesta microbiota populations, piglet small-intestinal morphology, and intestinal nutrient transporter and inflammatory cytokine gene expression at birth, 48 h after birth and weaning
Recent research has indicated that supplementing sows with seaweed-derived polysaccharides (SDP), containing laminarin and fucoidan, bioactives containing antimicrobial, prebiotic and immunomodulatory properties, from day 107 of gestation influenced piglet immune status at weaning, and had beneficial effects on weaning-associated intestinal dysfunction and growth depression immediately after weaning[14,15,16,17,18]
The hypothesis of this study is that maternal SDP supplementation from day 83 of gestation would improve piglet body weight (BW) at birth and modulate selected intestinal microbial populations, the inflammatory response and aspects of intestinal health of piglets at birth and during the suckling period, making them more immune competent to deal with post-weaning adversities
Summary
The experiment investigated the effect of maternal dietary supplementation of seaweed-derived polysaccharides (SDP) (–SDP v. +SDP, n 20) from day 83 of gestation until weaning (day 28) on selected sow faeces and piglet digesta microbiota populations, piglet small-intestinal morphology, and intestinal nutrient transporter and inflammatory cytokine gene expression at birth, 48 h after birth and weaning. Pigs are exposed to a large number of stressors, such as separation from the dam, transition from milk to a diet based on plant polysaccharides[6], and withdrawal of maternal IgA from milk that acts locally in the intestine of suckling piglets[7]. These factors combined can disturb the intestinal immune system and microbiota equilibrium[8], which contribute toward a decrease in daily gain. Studies have been shown that the nutrient needs for fetal growth increase from day 69 of gestation[19], and the transfer of nutrients to the fetus increases between days 90 and 100 of gestation[20]
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