Abstract
Simple SummaryDevelopmental programming is the concept that external influences that occur pre-conception, during gestation, or during early postnatal life can have long-term consequences for offspring growth, metabolism, and health. In ruminant livestock species, maternal diet is an important component influencing long-term programming of gastrointestinal function. Pancreatic and small intestinal digestive enzymes play an important role in postruminal digestion, primarily of carbohydrates and protein. This review will highlight current information regarding developmental programming of carbohydrases in response to dietary factors. Understanding how diet influences enzyme activity during early prenatal and postnatal life could lead to the development of dietary strategies to optimize offspring growth and development by increasing digestive efficiency of ruminant livestock species.In ruminant livestock species, nutrition can play an important role in the long-term programming of gastrointestinal function. Pancreatic and small intestinal digestive enzymes are important for postruminal digestion of carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrases have been shown to respond to changes in the level of feed intake and the dietary inclusion of specific nutrients, including arginine, butyrate, folic acid, fructose, and leucine. Understanding how diet influences enzyme development and activity during prenatal and postnatal life could lead to the development of dietary strategies to optimize offspring growth and development to increase digestive efficiency of ruminant livestock species. More research is needed to understand how changes in fetal or neonatal carbohydrase activities in response to nutrition influence long-term growth performance and efficiency in ruminant livestock species to optimize nutritional strategies.
Highlights
Maternal nutrition during gestation is a major determinant of fetal growth, development, and function [1] and nutrient restriction during gestation can have adverse effects on fetal visceral tissues [2,3]
The ruminant gastrointestinal tract and liver constitute less than 10% of body weight (BW) but account for approximately 50% of total energy expenditure [5] and are major components defining maintenance requirements [6]
Leucine supplementation at 2.9% of dry matter (DM) to neonatal lambs for 42 d in milk-replacer decreased small intestinal maltase and isomaltase activities at slaughter after an 82-d finishing period [74]. These studies [60,74] were conducted in different species and dietary N concentrations were not balanced across treatments, there is an indication that long-term developmental programming of small intestinal digestive enzymes via neonatal nutrition could be possible in ruminants
Summary
Maternal nutrition during gestation is a major determinant of fetal growth, development, and function [1] and nutrient restriction during gestation can have adverse effects on fetal visceral tissues [2,3]. Changes in maternal and fetal visceral organ mass in response to nutrient restriction during gestation could potentially alter maintenance energy requirements of both the dam and fetus [7,8,9]. Recent research on the effects of maternal and early postnatal nutrition on fetal or neonatal gastrointestinal function has improved our understanding of the regulation of digestive enzyme activity in ruminants. Understanding how diet can influence enzyme activity during prenatal and early postnatal life could lead to the development of dietary strategies to optimize offspring growth and development to increase digestive efficiency of ruminant livestock species. This review will summarize current research of developmental programming of pancreatic and small intestinal digestive enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion in response to maternal diet or early postnatal diet in ruminant livestock species
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