Jejunal Lactase Research Articles

Small Intestinal Digestive Functions and Feed Efficiency Differ in Different Pig Breeds

Small intestinal growth and health affect its digestion and absorption ability, while little information exists about the small intestinal morphology and function differences among the different pig breeds. Therefore, 90 healthy 35 days of age Taoyuan black (TB), Xiangcun black (XB), and Duroc (DR) pigs (30 pigs per breed) with similar body weight (BW) of the same breed were reared to 185 days of age to evaluate the potential relationship between feed efficiency and small intestinal morphology and function at 80, 125, and 185 days of age. The results show that the TB and XB pigs had lower initial and final BW, ADG, and ADFI and plasma CHO and LDL-C levels, whereas they had higher plasma LIP levels and jejunal trypsin, invertase, lactase, and maltase activities and higher DM, ADF, Tyr, Arg, and His digestibility at 80 days of age compared with the DR pigs. At 125 days of age, TB and XB pigs had lower apparent total tract digestibility and plasma CHO, HDL-C, LDL-C, and NH3 levels; XB pigs had lower DM and NDF digestibility, and TB pigs had higher jejunal lactase and maltase activities. At 185 days of age, TB and XB pigs had lower DM, EE, ADF, and GE digestibility, while having higher plasma ALT and UN levels; TB pigs had higher plasma AST level and jejunal chymase activity. Furthermore, the plasma free amino acid contents, small intestinal VH, and nutrient transporter expression levels differed at different ages. Therefore, the different pig breeds exhibited significantly different growth performance and small intestinal growth, mainly resulting from the differences in digestive enzymes and nutrient transporters in the small intestine.

Feeding Colostrum Rapidly Alters Enzymatic Activity and the Relative Isoform Abundance of Jejunal Lactase in Neonatal Pigs ,

Our objective was to determine the short-term effects of feeding colostrum and mature milk on the enzyme activity and relative isoform abundance of lactase in neonatal pigs. We studied newborn pigs that were fed colostrum, mature milk and water for 6 h (Study 1). We also studied unfed pigs shortly after birth, and newborn pigs fed either colostrum or mature milk for 24 h (Study 2). The specific activity (micromol x min(-1) x g protein(-1)) of lactase in ajejunal mucosal homogenate and a purified membrane fraction was lower in pigs fed colostrum than in unfed newborns or those fed either milk or water. However, after 24 h, total jejunal lactase activity (micromol x mol(-1)), jejunal mass and protein content were higher in the colostrum- and milk-fed pigs than in the unfed newborns. In colostrum-fed pigs, the reduction in lactase specific activity after 6 h was associated with 1) a marked increase in the relative abundance of a 180-kDa protein, which was shown to be one of three pro-lactase isoforms, and 2) a lower relative abundance of the 160-kDa isoform, considered to be the mature form of the enzyme. Our evidence suggests that feeding either colostrum or mature milk increases total jejunal lactase activity. The reduction in both the specific activity and abundance of the mature isoform in conjunction with an increased relative abundance of the 180-kDa pro-lactase isoform suggests that feeding colostrum alters the post-translational processing of intestinal lactase in neonatal pigs.

PSVIII-12 Influence of Colostrum Insulin Supplementation on Brush Border Carbohydrase Activity in Neonatal Holstein Bulls

Abstract Insulin concentrations are variable in bovine colostrum (5 to 263 µg insulin/L) and its effects on gastrointestinal function in neonatal calves are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine if varying concentrations of insulin in colostrum would influence intestinal carbohydrases in neonatal Holstein bulls. Calves (n = 26; 49.11 kg, SD = 3.24) were removed from their dams after calving. They were fed 3 meals of colostrum (7% BW or 3.10 ± 0.02 L) at 2, 14 and 26 hours after birth containing one of 3 insulin concentrations: basal (16.8 µg/L; n = 8), or supplemental colostrum containing either a 5× (83.4 µg/L; n = 10) or 10× (167.5 µg/L; n = 8) increase in colostrum insulin respective to basal concentrations. At 30 hours, the animals were killed, and the gastrointestinal tract was removed for mucosal scrapings of the duodenum, proximal jejunum, and ileum. Intestinal mucosal scrapings were assayed for the following brush border carbohydrases: maltase, isomaltase, lactase and glucoamylase. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with treatment and dam parity modeled as fixed effects. There was no treatment effect (P > 0.05) on intestinal maltase, isomaltase and glucoamylase concentrations. However, there was a linear increase (P < 0.05) in jejunal lactase activity (Unit/g of jejunum and U/g of protein) with increasing amount of insulin inclusion. These data indicate that insulin supplementation has minimal effects on activities of brush border starch degrading enzymes, but increases lactase activity in the proximal jejunum of neonatal calves.

Effects of Ellagic Acid Supplementation on Jejunal Morphology, Digestive Enzyme Activities, Antioxidant Capacity, and Microbiota in Mice.

Ellagic acid (EA), a plant polyphenol mainly found in nuts and fruits, exhibits various biological effects. However, the effects of EA on intestinal health remain poorly understood. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the effects of EA supplementation on jejunal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, antioxidant capacity, and microbiota in C57BL/6J mice. A total of 144 mice were randomly assigned to three treatments groups: the control (CON) group received a standard pellet diet, the 0.1% EA group received a standard pellet diet plus 0.1% EA, and the 0.3% EA group received a standard pellet diet plus 0.3% EA. The mice were killed at the end of the experimental period, and jejunal samples were collected. The results revealed that the mice in the 0.3% EA group had higher (P < 0.05) average daily gain and greater (P < 0.05) jejunal villus height than those in the CON group. In addition, the jejunal lactase and sucrase activities were higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.1% EA and 0.3% EA groups, and the alkaline phosphatase activity was higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.3% EA group than in the CON group. Compared with the CON group, the administration of EA increased (P < 0.05) the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities but decreased (P < 0.05) the malonaldehyde content in the jejunum. Moreover, the jejunal messenger RNA expression levels of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.3% EA group than in the CON group. Furthermore, compared with the CON group, the count of Escherichia coli decreased (P < 0.05), and that of Lactobacillus species increased (P < 0.05) in the 0.3% EA group. In general, our findings indicate that the administration of EA can enhance the growth of mice, promote intestinal development, increase the antioxidant capacity, and regulate the intestinal microbiota.

Beet Pulp: An Alternative to Improve the Gut Health of Growing Pigs.

Simple SummaryImproving disease resistance in pig is a major challenge faced by the pig industry. Intestinal health plays a critical role in modulating disease resistance in pigs. Dietary fiber has been widely recognized to prevent intestinal disorders in pigs. We found that feeding 5.74% crude fiber (obtained from beet pulp) to growing pigs could modulate gut microbiota composition and increase the short-chain fatty-acid content in the hindgut, suggesting that dietary supplementation with a high dose of fiber derived from beet pulp can help improve the gut health of growing pigs.The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary fiber on the gut health of growing pigs. In total, 30 growing pigs with an initial average body weight of 45.8 ± 2.78 kg were divided into three groups with 10 replicates per treatment, and one pig per replicate. The treatments included a corn–soybean meal-based diet (control group, 1.5% crude fiber (CF)), corn–soybean meal + beet pulp-based diet (beet pulp group, 5.74% CF) and corn–soybean meal-based diet (feed intake-pairing group (pairing group); the feed intake was equal to the beet pulp group, 1.5% CF). The whole trial lasted 28 days. The beet pulp group had a longer length of the large intestine, higher weight of the small intestine and whole intestine, greater density of the large intestine and whole intestine, and higher villus height in the jejunum and ileum than the control group (p < 0.05). The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF), glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2), and glucagon-like peptide 2 receptor (GLP-2R) in the duodenum, EGF and GLP-2 in the jejunum, EGF in the ileum, and GLP-2 in the colon were higher in the beet pulp group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the apparent total tract digestibility of crude ash, energy, dry matter (DM), and crude protein (CP) was lower in the beet pulp group than in the control group (p < 0.05), while the apparent total tract digestibility of CF, the activity of jejunal lactase, and the mRNA abundance of duodenal GLP-2 were higher in the beet pulp group than in the control and pairing groups (p < 0.05). In addition, the beet pulp group had more goblet cells in the colon, more Bifidobacterium spp. in the cecal digesta, higher concentrations of acetic acid and butyric acid in the cecal digesta, and higher mRNA abundance of duodenal regeneration protein Ⅲγ (REG-Ⅲγ), jejunal mucin 2 (MUC-2), and ileal G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR-43) than the control group (p < 0.05). However, these parameters did not differ between the control and pairing groups (p > 0.05). These findings indicate feeding a high-fiber diet (5.74% CF, obtained from beet pulp) to pigs could modulate the gut microbiota composition, increase the short-chain fatty-acid (SCFA) content in the hindgut, and improve gut health, which is independent of the feed intake.

Dietary dihydroartemisinin supplementation improves growth, intestinal digestive function and nutrient transporters in weaned piglets with intrauterine growth retardation

Two experiments were conducted to (1) investigate the effects of different doses of dihydroartemisinin (DiHA) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, serum biochemistry, antioxidant and immune function in weaned piglets and determine the optimal dose of DiHA and (2) investigate the effects of DiHA on growth, intestinal digestive function and nutrient transporters in weaned piglets with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). In experiment 1, a total of 360 21-day-old weaned piglets were randomly allocated into six dietary treatments, including control group (basal diet), DiHA 20, DiHA 40, DiHA 80, DiHA 160 and DiHA 320 groups (basal diet supplemented with 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 mg/kg DiHA, respectively). At 42 days of age, a digestibility trial was conducted for 7 days. At 49 days of age, the growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant and immune function were measured. The results showed that DiHA at the dose of 80 mg/kg significantly improved (P < 0.05) growth performance and decreased the incidence of diarrhea. Diet supplemented with 80 mg/kg DiHA also improved (P < 0.05) the nutrient digestibility, ameliorated serum biochemistry and improved serum cytokine levels. Therefore, according to these results, the optimal dose of DiHA in pig diet was considered to be 80 mg/kg. In experiment 2, weaned piglets (21 d) with normal birth weight (NBW) and IUGR fed the basal diet (NBW-CON and IUGR-CON groups) or the 80 mg/kg DiHA diet (IUGR-DiHA group) for 4 wk. Compared with NBW piglets, IUGR piglets decreased (P < 0.05) body weight at 0, 7, 14, 21 days of age and average daily gain (ADG) during 0–7 d, 7–14 d, and 0–21 d period as well as ADG and average daily feed intake (ADFI) at 49 days of age. IUGR led to the impaired development of intestine, decreased activities of intestinal digestive enzyme and disaccharidase, reduced concentrations of glucose transporter and mRNA expressions of related nutrient transporters in weaned piglets. After treatment with DiHA in IUGR piglets, ADG and ADFI, the relative weight of jejunum, the activities of ileal amylase and trypsin, the activities of jejunal lactase, maltase and alkaline phosphatase, the concentrations of jejunal glucose transporter 2 and ileal sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1, and mRNA expressions of nutrient transporters were improved (P < 0.05). In conclusion, 80 mg/kg DiHA in the diet has beneficial effects in improving the development of small intestine and alleviating the impairment of nutrient digestion and transporters in IUGR weaned piglets.

Effects of long-term feeding diets supplemented with Lactobacillus reuteri 1 on growth performance, digestive and absorptive function of the small intestine in pigs

• LR1 promoted pig growth. • LR1 improved intestinal hormone, digestion and absorption. This study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term feeding diets supplemented with antibiotics and Lactobacillus reuteri 1 (LR1) on growth performance, intestinal digestion and absorption in pigs. The results showed that both LR1 and the antibiotics increased body weight of the piglets after 42-d ( P < 0.05), and showed a tendency to promote growth performance in growing-finishing pigs. LR1 significantly improved jejunal and ileal mucosal morphology and increased expression of jejunal glucosidase and ileal cholecystokinin, digestive enzymes and nutrient transporters. The antibiotics decreased jejunal lactase , B0 + AT1 , FATP1 , GLUT2 , ileal y + LAT1 , and GLUT2 ( P < 0.05). LR1 stimulated protein synthesis of ileal mucosa rather than jejunal mucosa compared to control and antibiotic groups ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, LR1 could be an alternative to antibiotics as a growth promoter that improves mucosal morphology, synthesis and secretion of cholecystokinin and digestion and absorption of small intestine.

Effects of galacto-oligosaccharides on growth and gut function of newborn suckling piglets

BackgroundMost research on galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) has mainly focused on their prebiotic effects on the hindgut, but their beneficial effects on the small intestine (SI) have received little attention. Since jejunum is the important place to digest and absorb nutrients efficiently, optimal maturation of the jejunum is necessary for maintaining the high growth rate in the neonate. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of the early intervention with GOS on the intestinal development of the jejunum.MethodsA total of 6 litters of neonatal piglets (10 piglets per litter; Duroc × Landrace × Large White) with an average birth weight of 1.55 ± 0.05 kg received 1 of 2 treatments based on their assignment to either the control (CON) group or the GOS (GOS) group in each litter. Piglets in the GOS group were orally administrated 10 mL of a GOS solution (reaching 1 g GOS/kg body weight) per day from the age of 1 to 7 d; the piglets in the CON group were treated with the same dose of physiological saline. All piglets were weaned on d 21. On d 8 and 21 of the experimental trial, 1 pig per group from each of the 6 litters was euthanized.ResultsThe early intervention with GOS increased the average daily gains in the third week (P < 0.05). Decreased crypt depth was also observed in the jejunum of the piglets on d 21 (P < 0.05). The early intervention with GOS increased the jejunal lactase activity on d 8, maltase activity and sucrase activity on d 21 (P < 0.05). In addition, the early intervention with GOS also facilitated the mRNA expression of Sodium glucose co-transporter 1 (SGLT1) on d 8 and the mRNA expression of Glucose transporter type 2 (GLUT2) on d 21 (P < 0.05). It was further determined that GOS up-regulated the mRNA expression of preproglucagon (GCG), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). GOS also up-regulated the protein expression of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) and EGF in the jejunum of the piglets. Furthermore, it was also found that GOS enhanced the protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin on d 8 (P < 0.05), as well as increased the mRNA expression of TGF-β and decrease the mRNA expression of IL-12 (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThese results indicate that GOS have a positive effect on piglet growth performance in addition to decreasing the crypt depth and enhancing functional development in jejunum of suckling piglets.

Flaxseed Oil Attenuates Intestinal Damage and Inflammation by Regulating Necroptosis and TLR4/NOD Signaling Pathways Following Lipopolysaccharide Challenge in a Piglet Model.

Flaxseed oil is a rich source of α-linolenic acid (ALA), which is the precursor of the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This study investigates the protective effect of flaxseed oil against intestinal injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Twenty-four weaned pigs were used in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with dietary treatment (5% corn oil vs 5% flaxseed oil) and LPS challenge (saline vs LPS). On day 21 of the experiment, pigs were administrated with LPS or saline. At 2 h and 4 h post-administration, blood samples were collected. After the blood harvest at 4 h, all piglets were slaughtered and intestinal samples were collected. Flaxseed oil supplementation led to the enrichment of ALA, EPA, and total n-3 PUFAs in intestine. Flaxseed oil improved intestinal morphology, jejunal lactase activity, and claudin-1 protein expression. Flaxseed oil downregulated the mRNA expression of intestinal necroptotic signals. Flaxseed oil also downregulated the mRNA expression of intestinal toll-like receptors 4 (TLR4) and its downstream signals myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain proteins 1, 2 (NOD1, NOD2) and its adapter molecule, receptor-interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2). These results suggest that dietary addition of flaxseed oil enhances intestinal integrity and barrier function, which is involved in modulating necroptosis and TLR4/NOD signaling pathways.

The effects of dietary sulfur amino acids on growth performance, intestinal morphology, enzyme activity, and nutrient transporters in weaning piglets.

Early weaning results in intestinal dysfunction in piglets, while sulfur amino acids (SAA) are involved in improving intestinal functions. We tested a hypothesis that dietary supplementation with SAA can improve intestinal functions of weaning piglets and analyzed the effects of different dietary SAA levels on intestinal functions. A total of 80 piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) were weaned at 21 d of age and randomly assigned to one of the five diets that contained 0.53%, 0.63%, 0.74%, 0.85%, or 0.96% SAA, which corresponded to 70%, 85%, 100%, 115%, or 130% of the SAA:Lys ratio recommended by the National Research Council (2012). The 14 d feeding experiment involved 16 pens per diet and one piglet per pen. Eight randomly selected piglets from each treatment were euthanized for tissue sampling on day 7 and 14 post weaning. Supplementation with SAA led to a rise over time in G:F (linear, P = 0.001; quadratic, P = 0.001). Between day 0 and 14 of treatment, the jejunal crypt depth decreased (linear, P = 0.018; quadratic, P = 0.015), while that of the duodenal villus (linear, P = 0.049) and ileal villus width (linear, P = 0.029; quadratic, P = 0.034) increased. The activities of jejunal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were quadratically increased (P = 0.040) from day 0 to 14 due to dietary SAA. Dietary SAA also elevated the activities of jejunal lactase (linear, P = 0.003; quadratic, P = 0.004), jejunal sucrase (linear, P = 0.032; quadratic, P = 0.027), and jejunal contents of glutathione (GSH) from day 0 to 7, as well as the activity of jejunal maltase (linear, P = 0.014; quadratic, P = 0.001) between day 0 and 14. During the first wk, dietary SAA linearly increased the amounts of intestinal-type fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) (P = 0.048) and SGLT-1 (P = 0.021) and linearly decreased the amount of GLUT2 (P = 0.029) proteins in the jejunum. The abundance of jejunal I-FABP (P = 0.044) and PEPT1 (P = 0.049) protein linearly increased from day 0 to 14 in response to this supplementation. These findings indicate that there is a dose-dependent response to dietary SAA on feed efficiency and intestinal parameters of weanling pigs.

Prebiotics and Bioactive Milk Fractions Affect Gut Development, Microbiota, and Neurotransmitter Expression in Piglets.

This study tested the hypothesis that the addition of prebiotics and 2 functional milk ingredients to infant formula would maintain normal growth and gut development, and modify microbiota composition and neurotransmitter gene expression in neonatal piglets. Two-day-old male piglets (n = 24) were fed formula (CONT) or formula with polydextrose (1.2 g/100 g diet), galactooligosaccharides (3.5 g/100 g diet), bovine lactoferrin (0.3 g/100 g diet), and milk fat globule membrane-10 (2.5 g/100 g diet) (TEST) for 30 days. On study day 31, intestinal samples, ileal and colonic contents, and feces were collected. Intestinal histomorphology, disaccharidase activity, serotonin (5'HT), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were measured. Gut microbiota composition was assessed by pyrosequencing of the V3-V5 regions of 16S rRNA and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Body weight of piglets on TEST was greater (P ≤ 0.05) than CONT on days 17 to 30. Both groups displayed growth patterns within the range observed for sow-reared pigs. TEST piglets had greater jejunal lactase (P = 0.03) and higher (P = 0.003) ileal VIP expression. TEST piglets tended to have greater (P = 0.09) sucrase activity, longer (P = 0.08) ileal villi, and greater (P = 0.06) duodenal TH expression. Microbial communities of TEST piglets differed from CONT in ascending colon (AC, P = 0.001) and feces (P ≤ 0.05). CONT piglets had greater relative abundances of Mogibacterium, Collinsella, Klebsiella, Escherichia/Shigella, Eubacterium, and Roseburia compared with TEST piglets in AC. In feces, CONT piglets harbored lower (P ≤ 0.05) proportions of Parabacteroides, Clostridium IV, Lutispora, and Sutterella than TEST piglets. A mixture of bioactive ingredients improved weight gain and gut maturation, modulated colonic and fecal microbial composition, and reduced the proportions of opportunistic pathogens.

Intestinal microbiota could transfer host Gut characteristics from pigs to mice.

BackgroundThe present study was conducted to compare the differences in gut microbiota composition and gut-phenotypes among pig breeds, and determine whether these differences would transmit to mice colonized with fecal microbiota of different pig breeds. A total of 24 1-day-old germ-free BALB/C mice were divided into 3 groups (TFM, YFM and RFM), which were transplanted with intact fecal microbiota of Tibetan pig (TP), Yorkshire pig (YP) and Rongchang pig (RP), respectively.ResultsResults showed that different pig breeds exhibited distinct gut microbiota profile based on high-throughput pyrosequencing. YP exhibited a lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and apparent genera differences compared with RP and TP, and higher levels of bacteria from Spirochaetes were observed in TP compared with RP and YP (P < 0.05). Transplanted porcine microbiota into GF mice replicated the phenotypes of pig donors. Moreover, the three groups of donor pigs and their mice recipients exhibited different intestinal index and morphology. TP and RP had higher intestinal weight and relative CDX2 mRNA expression in ileum than YP, and longer intestine, higher villus height of duodenum and jejunum were observed in TP compared with YP and RP (P < 0.05). TP exhibited higher GLP-2 mRNA expression in duodenum and jejunum than RP (P < 0.05). Similarly, YFM had lower intestine weight and CDX2 mRNA expression in ileum than TFM and RFM (P < 0.05). The intestine length in TFM was longer than that in RFM, and TFM had higher villus height in duodenum and jejunum and GLP-2 mRNA expression in ileum than the other two groups (P < 0.05). Besides, the digestive and absorptive ability was different among the three groups in donor pigs and mice recipients. YP had higher jejunal lactase and maltase activities than TP and RP, while TP had higher activities of jejunal ATPase, γ-GT, and relative SGLT1 mRNA expression in duodenum and jejunum than YP and RP (P < 0.05). Likewise, YFM had higher jejunal sucrase and maltase activities than TFM and RFM, whereas higher jejunal γ-GT activity and relative SGLT1 mRNA expression in duodenum and ileum were observed in TFM compared with YFM and RFM (P < 0.05). In addition, Tibetan pigs-derived microbiota improved gut barrier in mice recipients. The concentration of MDA in YP was higher than that in TP and RP (P = 0.078), and the relative ZO-1 mRNA expression in ileum in TP was higher than that in YP (P < 0.05). Likely, compared with TFM and RFM, YFM exhibited increasing MDA concentration in jejunum (P = 0.098), and the relative ZO-1 mRNA expression in duodenum and ileum in TFM were higher than that in YFM (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThere were huge differences in gut microbiota composition and gut characteristics among pig breeds, and gut microbiota could partially convey host gut characteristics from pigs to mice.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-016-0851-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Intestinal lactose and mineral concentration affect the microbial ecophysiology along the gastrointestinal tract of formula-fed neonatal piglets.

Hyperprolificacy in modern pig breeds has led to increased use of artificial rearing and formula feeding of neonatal piglets, which may change their intestinal bacterial ecophysiology. Here, newborn piglets ( = 8 per group) were fed a bovine milk-based formula (FO) or allowed to suckle their mothers (sow milk [SM]) for 2 wk, and digesta samples from the stomach, jejunum, and colon were subsequently analyzed for enzyme activities, bacterial metabolites, and 16S rRNA transcripts of bacterial groups by quantitative real-time PCR. Jejunal lactase activity was lower and lactose concentration was greater in the jejunum and colon in the FO group compared with the SM group ( < 0.05). In the stomach, FO-fed pigs had a lower copy number of 16S rRNA transcripts for all analyzed bacterial groups ( < 0.05) except for the // group. In the jejunum, 16S rRNA transcripts of lactic acid bacteria and clostridial cluster I were lower ( < 0.05) in FO-fed pigs. In turn, transcript abundance of the group and clostridial cluster I was greater in FO-fed pigs in the colon ( < 0.05). In FO-fed piglets, concentrations of and lactate and total and individual short-chain fatty acids were higher in the colon ( < 0.05). Multivariate redundancy analysis revealed that the concentration of minerals (ash, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Mn, and Zn) were associated with reduced bacterial abundance and activity in the upper gastrointestinal tract, whereas lactose had the most pronounced effect on the colon microbiota. The present study revealed that, apart from lactose, the mineral concentration modifies the microbial communities in the gastrointestinal tract of FO-fed piglets.

Oral administration of N-carbamylglutamate might improve growth performance and intestinal function of suckling piglets

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of oral N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) administration on intestinal digestive enzymes, microbiota population and immunity under physiological condition in newborn piglets. A total of 48 1-d-old piglets (sow reared) were allotted, based on the initial body weights (1.57±0.04kg), into 4 treatments (12 piglets/group): (1) 0.52g/kg body weight (BW) l-Alanine (control), (2) 0.31g/kg BW l-Arginine·HCl (arginine), (3) 0.52g/kg BW l-Alanine plus 50mg/kg BW NCG, and (4) 0.52g/kg BW l-Alanine plus 100mg/kg BW NCG. The supplement were offered twice daily for 14 d. At d 7 and d 14, 6 piglets from each group were killed. Piglets supplemented with 50mg/ kg BW NCG had increased average daily gain during days 1–14 after birth and jejunal mucosal lactase activity on d 7 compared with piglets supplemented with control, arginine and 100mg/kg BW NCG groups. Serum concentrations of arginine, glutamate, citrulline and ornithine in arginine, 50 and 100mg/kg BW NCG groups were markedly increased at d 7 and 14, in comparison with the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the number of cecal Lactobacillus spp. in both NCG groups was higher than the control and arginine groups at d 14 (P<0.05). Serum IgA (P=0.05) and ileal sIgA (P=0.08) concentrations in the 50mg/kg BW NCG and arginine groups were higher than those in the control and 100mg/kg BW NCG groups at d 14. In conclusion, oral administration of 50mg/kg BW NCG to newborn piglets improved growth performance, increased the endogenous synthesis of arginine and arginine family of amino acids, jejunal lactase activity and cecal Lactobacillus spp. numbers, and stimulated secretion of ileal sIgA.

A Dietary Prebiotic Blend of Polydextrose and Galactooligosaccharides with Bioactive Whey Protein Fractions Affects Piglet Intestinal Function and Brain Microstructure

Identifying nutritional strategies to optimize early‐life development is a relevant and important focus of pediatric nutrition research. The piglet has been accepted as the best pre‐clinical model of infant development. Beginning at 2 d of age, 24 male pigs received either a control formula (CONT) or test formula containing a prebiotic blend of polydextrose and galactooligosaccharides with bioactive whey protein fractions (TEST) for 30 days. Neuroimaging was used to quantify brain composition and structure while intestinal histomorphology, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) expression, and disaccharidase activity were measured as markers of gut development and function. Pigs fed TEST had greater (P &lt; 0.05) jejunal lactase activity, increased (P &lt; 0.05) ileal VIP expression and small intestine morphology comparable to CONT. Analysis of brain microstructure by diffusion tensor imaging indicated lower (P &lt; 0.05) mean and radial diffusivities values in the internal capsule (IC) of TEST‐fed pigs, suggesting advanced white matter development in TEST‐fed pigs. Since the IC is one of the first subcortical structures to myelinate, these data may indicate advanced brain maturation in the TEST‐fed pigs. In conclusion, a combination of nutritional technologies elicited changes in gut functions and brain microstructure that may translate into functional benefits. However, future research is warranted to explore how these changes may impact other aspects of piglet development. Supported by Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Lactose maldigestion during methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal mucositis in a rat model

Patients with chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal mucositis suffer from anorexia, diarrhea, and stomach pain, often causing weight loss and malnutrition. When the intestinal function during mucositis would be known, a rational feeding strategy might improve the nutritional state, accelerate recuperation, and increase survival of mucositis patients. We developed a methotrexate (MTX)-induced mucositis rat model to study nutrient digestion and absorption. To determine lactose digestion and absorption of its derivative glucose during mucositis, we injected Wistar rats intravenously with MTX (60 mg/kg) or 0.9% NaCl (controls). Four days later, we orally administered trace amounts of [1-(13)C]lactose and [U-(13)C]glucose and quantified the appearance of labeled glucose in the blood for 3 h. Finally, we determined plasma citrulline level and harvested the small intestine to assess histology, myeloperoxidase level, glycohydrolase activity, immunohistochemical protein, and mRNA expression. MTX-treated rats showed profound villus atrophy and epithelial damage. During the experimental period, the absorption of lactose-derived [1-(13)C]glucose was 4.2-fold decreased in MTX-treated rats compared with controls (P < 0.01). Lactose-derived [1-(13)C]glucose absorption correlated strongly with villus length (rho = 0.86, P < 0.001) and with plasma citrulline level (rho = 0.81, P < 0.001). MTX treatment decreased jejunal lactase activity (19.5-fold, P < 0.01) and immunohistochemical protein and mRNA expression (39.7-fold, P < 0.01) compared with controls. Interestingly, MTX treatment did not affect the absorption of [U-(13)C]glucose during the experimental period. We conclude that lactose digestion is severely decreased during mucositis while glucose absorption is still intact, when supplied in trace amounts. Plasma citrulline level might be a useful objective, noninvasive marker for lactose maldigestion during mucositis in clinic.

Effects of extrusion and supplementation of exogenous enzymes to diets containing Chinese storage brown rice on the carbohydrase activity in the digestive tract of piglets

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of extrusion of Chinese storage brown rice and of exogenous enzymes supplementation to diets containing Chinese storage brown rice on the carbohydrase activity in digestive tract of piglets. In Experiment 1, 96 weaned piglets [initially 6.95 +/- 0.05 kg body weight (BW)] were used in a 2 x 2 factorial design, the animals were fed the diets containing extruded Chinese storage brown rice or non-treated Chinese storage brown rice and supplemented with or without exogenous enzymes. Each treatment had six replicate pens and four piglets in each pen. The results demonstrated that extrusion significantly increased (p < 0.05) the activity of duodenal maltase after 14 days of treatment and glucoamylase after 28 days of treatment, jejunal lactase, maltase, isomaltase, sucrase and alpha-amylase after 28 days of treatment, and jejunal alpha-amylase after 14 days of treatment; enzyme supplementation positively influenced (p < 0.05) the activity of pancreatic alpha-amylase after 14 and 28 days of treatment, pancreatic glucoamylase after 28 days of treatment and ileal trehalase after 14 days of treatment. Similarly, interaction between extrusion and enzyme addition existed after 14 days of treatment on the activity of pancreatic alpha-amylase and duodenal maltase and on the activity of duodenal glucoamylase and isomaltase, jejunal alpha-amylase, lactase, maltase, isomaltase and jejunal alpha-amylase after 28 days of treatment. In Experiment 2, six piglets (initially 21 +/- 1.85 kg BW) fitted with ileal 'T'-cannulas in a 6 x 6 Latin Square Design were used to study the effects of extrusion and addition of exogenous enzymes on ileal carbohydrase activity and nutrients digestibility. The results showed that exogenous enzymes significantly (p < 0.05) increased ileal alpha-amylase, glucoamylase and trehalase activity. The interaction between extrusion and enzyme supplementation had positive effect (p < 0.05) on the ileal lactase, cellobiase and sucrase activity.

Effect of dietary crude protein level on jejunal brush border enzyme activities in weaned pigs

Forty weaned pigs (7.0 ± 0.5 kg, mean ± SD) were used to determine the effects of feeding a low crude protein, amino acid-supplemented diet to piglets on the activities of jejunal brush border enzymes. Pigs were randomly allotted to two diets: a 222 g crude protein (HCP) per kg diet, or a 173 g crude protein per kg diet supplemented with amino acids (LCP). Pigs fed the HCP diet had higher small intestine weight compared with those fed the LCP diet on day 7 after weaning. Diet had no effect on the specific activities of jejunal sucrase, lactase, leucine aminopeptidase, aminopeptidase A, aminopeptidase N and dipeptidyl peptidase IV. The activities of sucrase and lactase decreased (p < 0.05) from day 3 after weaning to day 7, but the activities of leucine aminopeptidase and aminopeptidase N increased. The results showed that feeding a low protein diet supplemented with amino acids according to the ideal protein ratio to piglets had no negative effect on the development of jejunal brush border enzymes.

The small intestinal lactase expression is reduced in the piglet with bowel inflammation

The effects of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced bowel inflammation on jejunal lactase activity and expression were examined in 12 Yorkshire piglets at 5 d of age with body weight (BW) of 3 kg were fitted with ig catheters and divided into control (CON) and treatment groups (DSS). Both groups of pigs were infused with an equal volume of either saline or 1.25 g DSS/kg BW.d in saline, respectively, for 10 d. Lactase protein abundance was carried out by Western blotting and the mRNA abundance was measured by quantitative real time RT‐PCR. â‐actin was used as the housekeeping gene. DSS treatment decreased (P&lt;0.05) jejunal lactase maximal specific activity (Vmax, µmol/mg protein.min) in the tissue homogenate (CON, 87.66±0.14 vs. DSS, 24.05±0.30) by 73%, cytosol (CON, 45.83±0.68 vs. DSS, 12.58±1.15) by 73% and apical membrane (CON, 422.67±3.29 vs. DSS, 92.22±2.42) by 78%, respectively, with orresponding decreases (P&lt;0.05) of 26, 48, and 32% in the jejunal lactase protein abundance. The relative abundance of the jejunal lactase mRNA was lower by 25% in the DSS piglets. Bowel inflammation reduced the lactase activity in the small intestine by lowering its expression at the transcriptional and translational levels. Supported by AFMNet, OMAFRA and NSERC of Canada.

Gastrointestinal structural and functional responses of piglets to soy based infant formulas with varying isoflavone content as compared to cow milk based formula

Currently, 25% of formula‐fed infants receive soy formulas (SF) that contain isoflavones (ISO), including genistein (GEN). We have shown that GEN added to cow‐milk formula (CMF) reduced intestinal (INT) proliferation in piglets. Herein, the hypothesis that SF differing in ISO content would differentially impact neonatal INT development was tested. Piglets were randomized to CMF, SF (25 mg ISO/L expressed as aglycone equivalents) or a low ISO formula (LSF; 1.1 mg ISO/L expressed as aglycone equivalents). INT samples were collected on day 2, 6, 12 and 21. Daily weight (wt) gain was similar in all groups. SF piglets had looser (p=0.005) stool consistency than LSF and CMF, but all were within a normal range. Intestinal length/kg body wt and jejunal mucosal wt/kg decreased (p&lt;0.0001) over time, but were not affected by diet. Intestinal wt/kg was not affected by day or diet. Jejunal lactase and sucrase activities increased with age, but were unaffected by diet. Ussing Chamber analyses detected no differences in INT electrophysiology (barrier function, glucose and glutamine absorption or chloride secretion). Wt gain, INT growth, enzyme activity and nutrient transport in piglets fed SF or LSF was similar to CMF, suggesting that ISF within SF do not impact INT development. (Funded by Solae LLC and the USDA)