Effects of dietary fatty acids on gut health and function of pigs pre- and post-weaning

Abstract Fatty acids (FA) play a major role in relation to mucosal immune responses, epithelial barrier functions, oxidative stress, and inflammatory reactions. The dietary FA composition and the molecular structures (chain length and number of double bonds) influence digestion, absorption and metabolism, and the bioactivity of the FA. Piglets post-weaning having an immature intestine and not fully formed immune functions are very vulnerable to invading microorganisms. Manipulation of the milk FA composition via sow nutrition, or inclusion of dietary fat sources in the feed for newly weaned pigs, may be used as a strategic tool to enhance pig performance and their gut health and function pre- and post-weaning. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) are absorbed directly into the portal blood and may contribute to immediate energy for the enterocytes. In addition, the MCFA, similarly to the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), possess antibacterial effects and may thereby prevent overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. The essential FA, linoleic (LA) and α-linolenic (ALA) FA, form the building blocks for the long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 and n-6 FA. The conversion of ALA and LA into n-3 and n-6 eicosanoids, respectively, influences the molecular structures of metabolites and inflammatory reactions and other immune responses upon bacterial challenges. Dietary manipulation of the lactating sow influences the transfer of the n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from the sow milk to the piglet and the incorporation of the FA into piglet enteric tissues and cell membranes, which exerts bioactivity of importance for immune responses and the epithelial barrier function. Especially, the n-3 PUFA present in fish oil seem to influence the gut health and function of pigs, and this is of importance during the transition periods such as post-weaning in which piglets are prone to inflammation. The proportion of unsaturated FA in the cell membranes influences the susceptibility to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress accompanies infectious diseases, and the development of lipid peroxides and other reactive oxygen products may be harmful to the epithelial barrier function. Fatty acid peroxides from the feed may also be absorbed with other lipid-solubles and thereby harm the intestinal function. Hence, antioxidative protection is important for the enteric cells. In conclusion, manipulation of the dietary FA composition can influence the gut health and function in pigs and may support a normal immune system and modulate resistance to infectious diseases during especially stressful phases of a pig’s life such as post-weaning.

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54 Lipid nutrition and gut health of pigs

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz122.051 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 28-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Charlotte Lauridsen

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Fatty Acids ◽

Fatty Acid Composition ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Dietary Fat ◽

Epithelial Barrier ◽

Gut Health ◽

Inflammatory Reactions

Abstract Lipids and fatty acids play major roles in relation to mucosal immune responses, epithelial barrier functions, oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions. The composition of fatty acids and their molecular structures (chain length and number of double bonds) influences digestion, absorption and metabolism of the dietary fat, as well as the bioactivity of the fatty acids. Piglets post weaning having immature intestines and immune functions are very vulnerable towards invading microorganisms. Manipulation of the milk fatty acid composition via the sow nutrition, or inclusion of dietary fat sources in the feed, may be used as a strategic tool to enhance pig performance and their gut health pre- and post weaning. Medium-chained fatty acids (MCFA) are absorbed directly into the portal blood and may contribute with immediate energy for the piglet. In addition, the MCFA possess antibacterial effects. The essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic fatty acids, form the building blocks for the longer –chained polyunsaturated n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Their conversion into n-3 and n-6 eicosanoids influence the inflammatory reactions and the immune responses upon bacterial challenge. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the cell membranes influence the susceptibility to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress accompanies infectious diseases, and if uncontrolled, the development of the lipid peroxides may be harmful for the epithelial barrier function. The aim of this presentation is to review how dietary fatty acid composition during critical phases of pigs’ lives can support a normal immune system and modulate resistance to infectious diseases of pigs, and influence growth of the pig. Furthermore, factors that can enhance oxidative stress (e.g. polyunsaturated fatty acids), uncontrolled inflammatory reactions (e.g. high ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in cellular membranes), and limit immune development (such as deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins), and be harmful for the pig gut health are addressed.

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Neonatal intestinal injury induced by maternal separation: pathogenesis and pharmacological targets

Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology ◽

10.1139/cjpp-2018-0370 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (3) ◽

pp. 193-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bo Li ◽

Fang Zhou Yu ◽

Adam Minich ◽

Alison Hock ◽

Carol Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Maternal Separation ◽

Intestinal Injury ◽

Epithelial Barrier ◽

Intestinal Epithelial ◽

Intestinal Epithelial Barrier ◽

Epithelial Barrier Function ◽

Axis Ii ◽

Physiological Processes ◽

Pharmacological Targets

Maternal separation (MS) is a well-studied phenomenon thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of many diseases ranging from neuropsychiatric to early intestinal disorders such as necrotizing enterocolitis. The existing evidence suggests that MS initiates a variety of processes that in turn lead to early intestinal injury. Although there are many theories as to how MS alters normal physiological processes, the exact mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. This review aims to describe some of the pathological processes affecting the intestine that are caused by MS, including (i) brain–gut axis, (ii) intestinal epithelial barrier function, (iii) microbiome, (iv) oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress, and (v) gut inflammation.

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Catechin and Procyanidin B2 Modulate the Expression of Tight Junction Proteins but Do Not Protect from Inflammation-Induced Changes in Permeability in Human Intestinal Cell Monolayers

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11102271 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 2271 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Massimiliano G. Bianchi ◽

Martina Chiu ◽

Giuseppe Taurino ◽

Furio Brighenti ◽

Daniele Del Rio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Barrier Function ◽

Cell Model ◽

Intestinal Cell ◽

Epithelial Barrier ◽

Epithelial Barrier Function ◽

Inflammatory Stress ◽

Cell Monolayers ◽

Dietary Polyphenols ◽

Junctional Proteins

The possibility of counteracting inflammation-related barrier defects with dietary compounds such as (poly)phenols has raised much interest, but information is still scarce. We have investigated here if (+)-catechin (CAT) and procyanidin B2 (PB2), two main dietary polyphenols, protect the barrier function of intestinal cells undergoing inflammatory stress. The cell model adopted consisted of co-cultured Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells, while inflammatory conditions were mimicked through the incubation of epithelial cells with the conditioned medium of activated macrophages (MCM). The epithelial barrier function was monitored through trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER), and ROS production was assessed with dichlorofluorescein, while the expression of tight-junctional proteins and signal transduction pathways were evaluated with Western blot. The results indicated that MCM produced significant oxidative stress, the activation of NF-κB and MAPK pathways, a decrease in occludin and ZO-1 expression, and an increase in claudin-7 (CL-7) expression, while TEER was markedly lowered. Neither CAT nor PB2 prevented oxidative stress, transduction pathways activation, ZO-1 suppression, or TEER decrease. However, PB2 prevented the decrease in occludin expression and both polyphenols produced a huge increase in CL-7 abundance. It is concluded that, under the conditions adopted, CAT and PB2 do not prevent inflammation-dependent impairment of the epithelial barrier function of intestinal cell monolayers. However, the two compounds modify the expression of tight-junctional proteins and, in particular, markedly increase the expression of CL-7. These insights add to a better understanding of the potential biological activity of these major dietary flavan-3-ols at intestinal level.

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