Evaluation of 2’-Fucosyllactose and Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies infantis on Growth, Organ Weights, and Intestinal Development of Piglets

Human milk is rich in oligosaccharides that influence intestinal development and serve as prebiotics for the infant gut microbiota. Probiotics and 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) added individually to infant formula have been shown to influence infant development, but less is known about the effects of their synbiotic administration. Herein, the impact of formula supplementation with 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis Bi-26 (Bi-26), or 2’-FL + Bi-26 on weight gain, organ weights, and intestinal development in piglets was investigated. Two-day-old piglets (n = 53) were randomized in a 2 × 2 design to be fed a commercial milk replacer ad libitum without (CON) or with 1.0 g/L 2’-FL. Piglets in each diet were further randomized to receive either glycerol stock alone or Bi-26 (109 CFU) orally once daily. Body weights and food intake were monitored from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 33/34. On PND 34/35, animals were euthanized and intestine, liver and brain weights were assessed. Intestinal samples were collected for morphological analyses and measurement of disaccharidase activity. Dry matter of cecum and colon contents and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis abundance by RT-PCR were also measured. All diets were well tolerated, and formula intake did not differ among the treatment groups. Daily body weights were affected by 2’-FL, Bi-26, and day, but no interaction was observed. There was a trend (p = 0.075) for greater total body weight gain in CON versus all other groups. Jejunal and ascending colon histomorphology were unaffected by treatment; however, there were main effects of 2’-FL to increase (p = 0.040) and Bi-26 to decrease (p = 0.001) ileal crypt depth. The addition of 2’-FL and/or Bi-26 to milk replacer supported piglet growth with no detrimental effects on body and organ weights, or intestinal structure and function.

The Role of Dietary Fats in the Development and Prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. The pathogenesis of NEC is not completely understood; however, intestinal immaturity and excessive immunoreactivity of intestinal mucosa to intraluminal microbes and nutrients appear to have critical roles. Dietary fats are not only the main source of energy for preterm infants, but also exert potent effects on intestinal development, intestinal microbial colonization, immune function, and inflammatory response. Preterm infants have a relatively low capacity to digest and absorb triglyceride fat. Fat may thereby accumulate in the ileum and contribute to the development of NEC by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Some fat components, such as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), also exert immunomodulatory roles during the early postnatal period when the immune system is rapidly developing. LC-PUFAs may have the ability to modulate the inflammatory process of NEC, particularly when the balance between n3 and n6 LC-PUFAs derivatives is maintained. Supplementation with n3 LC-PUFAs alone may have limited effect on NEC prevention. In this review, we describe how various fatty acids play different roles in the pathogenesis of NEC in preterm infants.

Thyroid Hormone Nuclear Receptor TRα1 and Canonical WNT Pathway Cross-Regulation in Normal Intestine and Cancer

A pivotal role of thyroid hormones and their nuclear receptors in intestinal development and homeostasis have been described, whereas their involvement in intestinal carcinogenesis is still controversial. In this perspective article we briefly summarize the recent advances in this field and present new data regarding their functional interaction with one of the most important signaling pathway, such as WNT, regulating intestinal development and carcinogenesis. These complex interactions unveil new concepts and will surely be of importance for translational research.

Prenatal programming of the small intestine in piglets: the effect of supplementation with 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid (HMB) in pregnant sows on the structure of jejunum of their offspring

When discussing the scale of the occurrence of diseases of the digestive system in farm animals, particularly pigs in the weaning period, it may be beneficial to study physiological and nutritional factors that could potentially affect the growth, development, and modelling of the structure and function of the digestive tract. Taking into account the reports on the beneficial effects of ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (HMB) administration in the prenatal period on the development of various systems it was assumed that the HMB supplementation to pregnant sows can influence intestinal development in the offspring during weaning. Thus, the present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of HMB treatment of pregnant sows on jejunum development in offspring at weaning. From 70th day until the 90th day of gestation, sows received either a basal diet (n = 12) or the same diet supplemented with HMB (n = 12) at the dose of 0.2 g/kg of body weight/day. HMB given during prenatal time reduced the thickness of the longitudinal muscle; the apoptotic cell index in epithelium also significantly decreased after the HMB supplementation. Vasoactive intestinal (poly)peptide (VIP) expression in submucosal ganglia significantly increases in prenatally HMB treated piglets. The same strong reaction was observed with the expression of occludin, claudin-3, E-cadherin, and leptin in the jejunal epithelium. The obtained results indicate that the administration of HMB to pregnant sows significantly influenced the expression of VIP, leptin and some proteins of the intestinal barrier of their offspring less influencing the basal morphology.

Prenatal programming of the small intestine in piglets: the effect of supplementation with 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid (HMB) in pregnant sows on the structure of jejunum of their offspring

When discussing the scale of the occurrence of diseases of the digestive system in farm animals, particularly pigs in the weaning period, it may be beneficial to study physiological and nutritional factors that could potentially affect the growth, development, and modelling of the structure and function of the digestive tract. Taking into account the reports on the beneficial effects of ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (HMB) administration in the prenatal period on the development of various systems it was assumed that the HMB supplementation to pregnant sows can influence intestinal development in the offspring during weaning. Thus, the present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of HMB treatment of pregnant sows on jejunum development in offspring at weaning. From 70th day until the 90th day of gestation, sows received either a basal diet (n = 12) or the same diet supplemented with HMB (n = 12) at the dose of 0.2 g/kg of body weight/day. HMB given during prenatal time reduced the thickness of the longitudinal muscle; the apoptotic cell index in epithelium also significantly decreased after the HMB supplementation. Vasoactive intestinal (poly)peptide (VIP) expression in submucosal ganglia significantly increases in prenatally HMB treated piglets. The same strong reaction was observed with the expression of occludin, claudin-3, E-cadherin, and leptin in the jejunal epithelium. The obtained results indicate that the administration of HMB to pregnant sows significantly influenced the expression of VIP, leptin and some proteins of the intestinal barrier of their offspring less influencing the basal morphology.

Dietary Supplementation With Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) Improves Meat Quality and Intestinal Development in Jiaji Ducks

Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine and has exhibited a beneficial role in animal health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with E. scaber on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in ducks. A total of 480 Jiaji ducks (42 days old, male:female ratio = 1:1) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. There were six replicates per treatment, with 20 ducks per replicate. The ducks in the control group (Con) were fed a basal diet; the three experimental groups were fed a basal diet supplementation with 30 (T1), 80 (T2), and 130 mg/kg (T3) of E. scaber. After a 48-day period of supplementation, growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition were evaluated. The results showed that no differences were observed in the final body weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain among the four groups. Compared with that in the Con group, the feed conversion in the T1 and T2 groups was increased significantly; the T2 group was shown to decrease the concentration of alanine aminotransferase in serum; the T3 group was lower than the Con group in the concentration of aspartate aminotransferase and was higher than the Con group in the concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The highest concentration of creatinine was observed in the T1 group. The T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of Phe, Ala, Gly, Glu, Arg, Lys, Tyr, Leu, Ser, Thr, Asp, and total amino acids in the breast muscle. Moreover, the T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of meat C18:2n−6 and polyunsaturated fatty acid. The concentration of inosinic acid in the T1, T2, and T3 groups was significantly higher than that in the Con group. However, the Con group was higher than the T2 or T3 group in the Zn content. The T2 group was lower than the Con group in the jejunal crypt depth. The T3 group was higher than the Con group in the ileal villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth. In addition, the T3 group had a trend to significantly increase the abundance of Fusobacteria. Compared with the Con group, the T1 and T2 groups displayed a higher abundance of Subdoligranulum. Collectively, dietary supplementation with 80 mg/kg of E. scaber improves meat quality and intestinal development in ducks.