scholarly journals Early-Life Nutrition Interventions Improved Growth Performance and Intestinal Health via the Gut Microbiota in Piglets

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengzeng Luo ◽  
Bing Xia ◽  
Ruqing Zhong ◽  
Dan Shen ◽  
Jiaheng Li ◽  
...  

Intestinal infections in piglets are the main causes of morbidity before and after weaning. Studies have not explored approaches for combining pre-weaning and post-weaning nutritional strategies to sustain optimal gut health. The current study thus sought to explore the effects of early-life nutrition interventions through administration of synthetic milk on growth performance and gut health in piglets from 3 to 30 days of age. Twelve sows were randomly allocated to control group (CON) and early-life nutrition interventions group (ENI). Piglets were fed with the same creep diet from 7 days of age ad libitum. Piglets in the ENI group were provided with additional synthetic milk from Day 3 to Day 30. The results showed that early-life nutrition interventions improved growth performance, liver weight, spleen weight, and reduced diarrhea rate of piglets after weaning (P < 0.05). Early-life nutrition interventions significantly upregulated expression of ZO-1, Occludin, Claudin4, GALNT1, B3GNT6, and MUC2 in colonic mucosa at mRNA level (P < 0.05). Early-life nutrition interventions reduced activity of alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in serum and the content of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in plasma (P < 0.05). The number of goblet cells and crypt depth of colon of piglets was significantly higher in piglets in the ENI group relative to that of piglets in the CON group (P < 0.05). The relative mRNA expression levels of MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8, and the protein expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 in colonic mucosa of piglets in the ENI group were lower compared with those of piglets in the CON group (P < 0.05). Relative abundance of Lactobacillus in colonic chyme and mucosa of piglets in the ENI group was significantly higher relative to that of piglets in the CON group (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated that abundance of Lactobacillus was positively correlated with the relative mRNA expression levels of ZO-1, Claudin4, and GALNT1, and it was negatively correlated with the level of MCP-1 in colonic chyme and mucosa. In summary, the findings of this study showed that early-life nutrition interventions improved growth performance, colonic barrier, and reduced inflammation in the colon by modulating composition of gut microbiota in piglets. Early-life nutrition intervention through supplemental synthetic milk is a feasible measure to improve the health and reduce the number of deaths of piglets.

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3408
Author(s):  
Yaodong Wang ◽  
Jiayi Chen ◽  
Yingli Ji ◽  
Xue Lin ◽  
Yurong Zhao

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of diet with betaine supplementation on the growth performance, carcass quality and fat deposition in finishing Ningxiang pigs. A total of 24 Ningxiang pigs (43.6 ± 5.34 kg of average body weight) was randomly divided into two groups, with 6 replicates per treatment and 2 pigs per replicate. The treatments included a control group (basal diet) and a test group (basal diet + 0.2% betaine). The whole trial lasted 81 days. At the end of the experiment, one pig (close to the average body weight of all experimental pigs) per replicate was slaughtered to determine the carcass traits, meat quality and the mRNA expression levels of genes relate to fat deposition (one pig per replicate was randomly selected and fasted for 12 h, n = 6). Results indicated that growth performance was not changed with betaine supplementation. However, dietary with betaine supplementation decreased back fat thickness and fat percentage, and increased the lean meat percentage as well (p < 0.05). In addition, diet with betaine supplementation reduced drip loss, water loss, cooking loss, shear force and b×24 h value of meat (p < 0.05). There was no difference in total moisture, ether extract and crude protein of longissimus thoracis between the control and test group. Dietary with betaine supplementation decreased ether extract and total cholesterol (p < 0.05) in liver. Dietary with betaine supplementation upregulated the mRNA expression levels of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), while downregulated the mRNA expression levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) in subcutaneous fat of back (p < 0.05). Besides, dietary with betaine supplementation upregulated the fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) mRNA expression of longissimus thoracis in finishing Ningxiang pigs (p < 0.05). These results showed that diet supplemented with betaine could improve the slaughtering performance and meat quality, and regulate the genes expression to affect the fat deposition in finishing Ningxiang pigs.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2514
Author(s):  
Yanhan Liu ◽  
Cun Liu ◽  
Keying An ◽  
Xiaowei Gong ◽  
Zhaofei Xia

Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) is increasingly being used to test the promotion of the gut health of animals. However, the modes of action for such applications for waterfowl remain unclear. Thus, we investigated whether or not intestinal barrier function, immune-related gene expression, and the diversity of the intestinal microbiota in Pekin ducks varied under C. butyricum supplementation. A total of 500 ducks were randomly assigned into five treatments supplemented with basal diets containing: either 0 (group Control), 200 (group CB200), 400 (group CB400) and 600 (group CB600) mg/kg C. butyricum or 150 mg/kg aureomycin (group A150) for 42 days. In comparison with the control group, C. butyricum supplementation enhanced the growth performance and intestinal villus height of Pekin ducks at 42 d. Serum immune indexes and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were all improved at both 21 d and 42 d after C. butyricum addition. The mRNA expression levels of Mucin2, Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), Caudin-3, and Occludin increased at 21 d and 42 d and the mRNA expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 only increased at 42 d after C. butyricum addition. Dietary C. butyricum also resulted in an increase in the number of diversities of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and an increase in the α-diversity of intestinal microbiota. The addition of C. butyricum altered the composition of the intestinal microbiota from 21 d to 42 d. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes showed little changes among groups; however, the relative abundance of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes were found to have been significantly different between the 21 d and 42 d. C. butyricum administration improved the intestinal health of Pekin ducks by increasing the diversity of intestinal microbiota, enhancing the SCFAs contents, and strengthening the intestinal barrier function and immune systems. The optimal dietary supplementation dosage was recommended as 400 mg/kg in the diet.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 474-474
Author(s):  
Christoph A. J. von Klot ◽  
Natalia Dubrowinskaja ◽  
Jörg Hennenlotter ◽  
Mario W. Kramer ◽  
Axel S. Merseburger ◽  
...  

474 Background: Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor 2 (ARHGDIB) is an important mediator of cellular signaling. The expression of ARHGDIB correlates with tumor growth and metastasis in a variety of non genitourinary cancers, however the role of ARHGDIB in renal cell cancer (RCC) has not yet been evaluated. Methods: Tissue samples from 106 patients undergoing surgery for RCC were obtained. The expression of ARHGDIB mRNA in normal kidney tissue and in corresponding cancer tissue was analyzed by means of quantitative real time PCR. Differences in mRNA expression levels were assessed using paired two-sample tests. Associations of relative mRNA expression levels and clinicopathological parameters were statistically analyzed using an univariate logistic regression model. Relative mRNA expression levels in healthy renal tissue compared to cancerous tissue from the same kidney was assessed using a paired t-test. Results: When comparing 74 tissues from kidney tumors with adjacent histologically normal appearing paired tissues, mRNA expression of ARHGDIB was significantly higher in the tumor tissue (p < 0.001). Paired analysis did not only show significantly higher mRNA expression levels for ARHGDIB over all RCC but also for the subgroup with clear cell RCC (ccRCC). The mRNA expression of ARHGDIB was also more pronounced in ccRCC when compared with papillary RCC (p < 0.001). When looking at clinicopathological parameters in univariate logistic regression analysis ccRCC was significantly associated with nodal involvement (p = 0.03) and also with tumor grade (p = 0.05). For all RCC there was no association with clinicopathological parameters. A bivariate Cox regression model, adjusted for metastatic status (p = 0.001), tumor diameter (p = 0.043), state of advanced disease (p = 0.030) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.006) identified ARHGDIB mRNA expression as a candidate positive prognosticator for RFS. Conclusions: Increased ARHGDIB mRNA expression is significantly associated with RCC tissues. Higher relative expression observed within tumor tissues represents a candidate prognosticator for better RFS of patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Trang ◽  
Rui André Saraiva Raposo ◽  
Margaret M. Lowe ◽  
Elisabeth R. Krow-Lucal ◽  
Wes Yonemoto ◽  
...  

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 595
Author(s):  
Ji Young Park ◽  
Sung-Bae Park ◽  
Heechul Park ◽  
Jungho Kim ◽  
Ye Na Kim ◽  
...  

There have been few reports on the kinetics of hemodialyzed (HD) patients’ immune responses in latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Therefore, in the present study, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of nine immune markers were analyzed to discriminate between HD patients with LTBI and healthy individuals. Nine cytokines and chemokines were screened through relative mRNA expression levels in whole blood samples after stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-specific antigens from HD patients with LTBI (HD/LTBI), HD patients without LTBI, and healthy individuals, and results were compared with the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test. We confirmed that the C-C motif chemokine 11 (CCL11) mRNA expression level of the HD/LTBI group was significantly higher than the other two groups. Especially, the CCL11 mRNA expression level of the >0.7 IU/mL group in the QFT-GIT test was significantly higher than the <0.2 IU/mL group in the QFT-GIT test and the 0.2–0.7 IU/mL group in the QFT-GIT test (p = 0.0043). The present study reveals that the relative mRNA expression of CCL11 was statistically different in LTBI based on the current cut-off value (i.e., ≥0.35 IU/mL) and in the >0.7 IU/mL group. These results suggest that CCL11 mRNA expression might be an alternative biomarker for LTBI diagnosis in HD patients.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1904
Author(s):  
Taoqi Shao ◽  
Joshua C. McCann ◽  
Daniel W. Shike

The objective was to investigate the effects of feeding late gestational beef cows supplements differing in fatty acid profile on steer progeny finishing phase growth performance, carcass characteristics, and relative mRNA expression of myogenic and adipogenic genes. Seventy Angus-cross steers (initial body weight [BW] 273 ± 34 kg) born from dams supplemented with either 155 g DM/d EnerGII (CON, rich in palmitic and oleic acids) or 80 g DM/d Strata + 80 g DM/d Prequel (PUFA, rich in linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid) for the last 77 ± 6 d prepartum were used. Longissimus muscle and subcutaneous adipose biopsies were collected to evaluate relative mRNA expression of genes related to myogenesis and adipogenesis. Steers were slaughtered at 423 ± 6 d of age. No treatment × time interaction or treatment effect (p ≥ 0.21) was detected for steer finishing phase BW, while steers from PUFA supplemented dams tended (p = 0.06) to have a greater gain to feed ratio (G:F). Neither carcass characteristics nor relative mRNA expression was different (p ≥ 0.11). In conclusion, late gestation PUFA supplementation tended to increase steer progeny finishing phase G:F, but had no effects on finishing phase BW, carcass characteristics, or relative mRNA expression during the finishing phase.


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