Fermented soybean meal increases nutrient digestibility via the improvement of intestinal function, anti-oxidative capacity and immune function of weaned pigs.

The nutritional components of fermented soybean meal (FSBM) vary because of the complex process of microbial fermentation. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional value of FSBM from two sources and explore the mode of actions of FSBM on the improvement of nutrient digestibility with the measurements of digestive enzymes and serum biomarkers. Eight weaned barrows (initial BW: 14.12 ±â€¯0.24 kg) equipped with T-cannula in the distal ileum were allotted to a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin-square design with four experimental diets and four periods. Four experimental diets included a soybean meal control diet, two FSBM diets, and a nitrogen-free diet. The two sources of FSBM increased the contents of CP, amino acid and lactic acid, while decreased the levels of anti-nutritional factors, including glycinin, ß-conglycinin and trypsin inhibitors. Compared to soybean meal control diet, both FSBM diets significantly increased the apparent and standardised ileal digestibility of CP and amino acids (P < 0.05), increased the activities of lipase, maltase and invertase in digesta (P < 0.05), increased total antioxidant capacity, activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, the levels of interleukin-4, IgA, IgG and IgM in serum (P < 0.05), while decreased the levels of diamine oxidase, malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, and interleukin-2 in serum (P < 0.05). Additionally, the standardised ileal digestibility of amino acids were highly correlated with the aforementioned digestive enzymes and health-related serum biomarkers. In summary, FSBM diets showed an improved nutritional value evidenced by the higher nutrient digestibility, which may be partially derived from its beneficial effects on intestinal integrity, anti-oxidative capacity and immune function.

Effects of Early Transplantation of the Faecal Microbiota from Tibetan Pigs on the Gut Development of DSS-Challenged Piglets.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of early transplantation of the faecal microbiota from Tibetan pigs on the gut development of dextran sulphate sodium- (DSS-) challenged piglets. In total, 24 3-day-old DLY piglets were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group); a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was used, which included faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) (from Tibetan pigs) and DSS challenge. The whole trial lasted for 55 days. DSS infusion increased the intestinal density, serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity, and colonic Escherichia coli count (P < 0.05), and decreased the Lactobacillus spp. count and mRNA abundances of epidermal growth factor (EGF), glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), occludin, mucin 2 (MUC2), regeneration protein IIIγ (RegIIIγ), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the colon (P < 0.05). FMT increased the Lactobacillus spp. count and mRNA abundances of GLP-2, RegIIIγ, and IL-10 in the colon (P < 0.05), and decreased the intestinal density, serum DAO activity, and colonic E. coli number (P < 0.05). In addition, in DSS-challenged piglets, FMT decreased the disease activity index (P < 0.05) and attenuated the effect of DSS challenge on the intestinal density, serum DAO activity, and colonic E. coli number (P < 0.05). These data indicated that the faecal microbiota from Tibetan pigs could attenuate the negative effect of DSS challenge on the gut development of piglets.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00858 promotes cells proliferation and invasion through the miR-153-3p/Rabl3 axis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00858 is a cancer-associated lncRNA frequently dysregulated in many types of human cancers. In the current study, we aimed to explore the role of LINC00858 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The relative expression levels of LINC00858 in HCC samples and adjacent non-tumor samples were determined by qRT-PCR. Loss-of-function assay was performed to examine the function of LINC00858 in HCC in vitro. Bioinformatic analysis and the following Luciferase activity reporter assay were utilized to explore the downstream molecules of LINC00858. CCK-8 assay was performed to detect cell proliferation of HCC cells. Transwell assay was performed to evaluate the invasive ability of HCC cells. RESULTS: Our results showed that LINC00858 was highly expressed in both HCC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of LINC00858 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells. Moreover, LINC00858 was found to act as a sponge of miR-153-3p, which directly bound to Rabl3 and regulated the Rabl3 expression. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-153-3p counteracted the effects of LINC00858 knockdown on proliferation and invasion of HCC cells. In addition, the overexpression of Rabl3 rescued the effects of miR-153-3p on cell proliferation and invasion of HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, these findings showed that LINC00858 exerted an ontogenetic role in HCC via regulating miR-153-3p/Rabl3 axis. Thus, LINC00858 might be utilized as a therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.

Gastric infusion of short-chain fatty acids can improve intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets.

BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of gastric infusion of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) on gut barrier function in a pig model. In this study, 21 DLY barrows with an average initial body weight of (8.31 ± 0.72) kg were randomly allotted into three treatments: (1) control, (2) infusing low SCFA, S1, (3) infusing high SCFA, S2. The experimental period lasted for 7 days. RESULTS: Gastric infusion of SCFA increased the concentrations of SCFA in serum and digesta, and enhanced the mRNA and protein abundances of SCFA receptors in pig intestine (P < 0.05). Moreover, gastric infusion of SCFA led to alteration of intestinal morphology, elevation of intestinal development-related gene abundances, and decrease of apoptotic cell percentage, as well as reduction of pro-apoptosis gene and protein abundances (P < 0.05). Besides, the jejunal SLC7A1 and ileal DMT1 mRNA abundances in the SCFA infusion groups were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, gastric infusion of SCFA increased the mRNA abundances of Occludin and Claudin-1 in the duodenum and ileum, enhanced Lactobacillus spp counts in the ileal digesta, decreased the mRNA and protein abundances of IL-1ß in the colon, and reduced Escherichia coli count in the ileal digesta (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicated that gastric infusion of SCFA, especially high SCFA concentration, may be beneficial to gut development of piglets via improving gut morphology, decreasing apoptotic cell percentage, and maintaining intestinal barrier function.

The effect of dietary amylose/amylopectin ratio on serum and hepatic lipid content and its molecular mechanisms in growing-finishing pigs.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary amylose/amylopectin ratio (DAR) on serum and hepatic lipid content, luminal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, and the expression of host genes involved in fat and glucose metabolism in liver and mucosa in growing-finishing pigs. Forty-eight Duroc × Landrace × Large White pigs (49.8 ± 2.8 kg) were randomly allocated to low amylose/amylopectin ratio (LR) and high amylose/amylopectin ratio (HR) groups, each group consisting of six replicates (pen) with four pigs per pen. The DAR was 12/88 for LR and 30/70 for HR. Experiment lasted for 67 days. Results showed that, compared with HR group, ingestion of LR significantly increased the liver total lipid and cholesterol concentration (p < .05) and decreased the serum LDL-C concentration (p < .05). The concentration of propionate, butyrate and total SCFAs in caecum digesta was significantly lower in LR group than in HR group (p < .05). We observed a significant increase in glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2), sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) gene expression in LR-fed pigs in the jejunum mucosa (p < .01). A decrease in Na+-coupled monocarboxylate transporter (SMCT1) and free fatty acid receptor 3 (FFAR3) expression was found in the ileum mucosa with LR group (p < .05). Ingestion of LR diet significantly decreased the hexokinase (p < .01) and tend to decrease the pyruvate kinase (p = .050) activities in the liver. Meanwhile, the present results indicated that ingestion of LR diet significantly increased the transcription of gluconeogenesis and lipogenic genes such as forkhead box O1 (FOXO1), fatty acid synthetase3 (FAS3) (p < .05). These findings demonstrated that high amylopectin has harmful effects on hepatic lipid deposit through the modulation of the liver Foxo1 signalling and should be avoided from one's diet.

Oral administration of short chain fatty acids could attenuate fat deposition of pigs.

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the main products of indigestible carbohydrates that are fermented by microbiota in the hindgut. This study was designed to investigate the effects of oral SCFAs administration on the lipid metabolism of weaned pigs. A total of 21 barrows were randomly allocated into three groups, including control group (orally infused with 200 mL physiological saline per day), low dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 20.04 mM, propionic acid 7.71 mM and butyric acid 4.89 mM per day), and high dose SCFAs group (orally infused with 200 mL SCFAs containing acetic acid 40.08 mM, propionic acid 15.42 mM and butyric acid 9.78 mM per day). The results showed that the average daily feed intake of SCFAs groups were lower than that of control group (P<0.05). Oral administration of SCFAs decreased the concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and insulin (P<0.05), and increased the leptin concentration in serum (P<0.05). The total fat, as well as TC and TG levels in liver, was decreased by oral SCFAs administration (P<0.05). In addition, SCFAs down-regulated the mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (P<0.05), and enhanced the mRNA expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1α (CPT-1α) in liver (P<0.05). SCFAs also decreased FAS, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor σ mRNA expressions in longissimus dorsi (P<0.05). And in abdominal fat, SCFAs reduced FAS and ACC mRNA expressions (P<0.05), and increased CPT-1α mRNA expression (P<0.05). These results suggested that oral administration of SCFAs could attenuate fat deposition in weaned pigs via reducing lipogenesis and enhancing lipolysis of different tissues.

Involvement of PKA signalling in anti-inflammatory effects of chitosan oligosaccharides in IPEC-J2 porcine epithelial cells.

Weaning is characterized by intestinal inflammation, which is a big challenge in pig industry. Control of intestinal inflammation is important for improvement of growth performance and health. Therefore, the study was focused on the anti-inflammatory activity of low-molecular-weight chitosan oligosaccharide (LCOS) in a porcine small intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2). The results showed that TNF-α, as inflammation inducer, significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of IL-8 and MCP-1. Afterwards, LCOS significantly attenuated mRNA expression of IL-8 and MCP-1 induced by TNF-α in the cells. Mannose (MAN), as ligand of mannose receptor, had no effect on the anti-inflammatory activity of LCOS, which suggested that mannose receptor may not involve in the anti-inflammatory activity of LCOS in IPEC-J2 cells. Interestingly, N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide 2HCl hydrate (H89), as PKA (protein kinase A)-specific inhibitor, reversed the mRNA expression of IL-8 when co-cultured with LCOS. Furthermore, LCOS concentration dependent downregulated the mRNA expression of claudin-1 compared with TNF-α treatment. However, the trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER) was not affected by LCOS when co-cultured with TNF-α in 3 hr. In conclusion, LCOS have a potent anti-inflammatory activity, and as a feed additives, may be useful for the inhibition of inflammatory process in weaning period of pigs with intestinal inflammation occurring.

Modulation of intestine development by fecal microbiota transplantation in suckling pigs.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of early fecal microbiota transplantation on gut development in sucking piglets. A total of 24 3 day-old DLY sucking piglets (2.11 ± 0.15) kg were randomly divided into four groups (TMP, YMP, RMP and control group (CON)), which were transplanted with intact fecal microbiota of Tibetan pig (TP), Yorkshire pig (YP), Rongchang pig (RP), and without transplantation, respectively. The whole trial lasted for 56 d. The results are as follows: when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP and CON had a lower diarrhea index (P < 0.05), TMP and CON had higher GLP-2 and ANG4 mRNA abundances in the ileum (P < 0.05), and the TMP had a higher jejunal villus height: crypt depth and a higher colonic GLP-2 mRNA abundance (P < 0.05). Moreover, when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP had an enhanced DMT1 mRNA abundance in the duodenum (P < 0.05), TMP and CON had a greater lactase activity and a higher DMT1 mRNA abundance in the jejunum (P < 0.05), and CON had a higher γ-GT activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05). The jejunal Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase activity in TMP was higher than that in CON, and the jejunal Na+, K+-ATPase activity in TMP was higher than that in the other three treatments (P < 0.05). Besides, when compared with the YMP and RMP treatments, TMP had a lower MDA content and a higher MUC1 mRNA abundance in the jejunum (P < 0.05); CON had a higher SOD activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05), whereas TMP and CON had a higher butyric acid concentration in the colon and a lower LPS content in the serum (P < 0.05). Finally, when compared with the TMP treatment, the other three treatments had an enhanced IL-10 mRNA abundance in the colon (P < 0.05), YMP and CON had higher counts of Escherichia coli in the colonic digesta (P < 0.05), and the CON had lower counts of Lactobacillus spp in the cecal and colonic digesta (P < 0.05). These data indicated that early transplantation of the fecal microbiota from the Yorkshire pigs and Rongchang pigs to DLY suckling piglets would destroy the gut microbiota balance and thus damage intestinal health.

Excess of dietary montmorillonite impairs growth performance, liver function, and antioxidant capacity in starter pigs.

Montmorillonite (MMT) is widely used as a mycotoxin adsorbent in animal feeds, but its safety remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate the safety of MMT supplementation in diets fed to starter pigs. A total of 120 32-d-old piglets (initial weight, 8.0 ± 0.9 kg) were randomly allotted into dietary treatments with graded MMT levels (0 [FS 0], 0.5% [FS 0.5], 1.0% [FS 1.0], 2.5% [FS 2.5], and 5.0% [FS 5.0]) with 6 replicate pens per treatment and 4 pigs per pen. All diets were fed for 28 d. As the MMT level increased, ADG and G:F changed in a linear and quadratic manner, while ADFI was linearly decreased ( > 0.05). Compared with FS 0, ADG, ADFI, and G:F of pigs in FS 1.0 increased ( < 0.05). However, the ADFI in pigs of FS 5.0 was lower than that in pigs of FS 0 ( < 0.05). The relative liver weight activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) changed in a linear and quadratic manner ( < 0.05). Compared with FS 0, pigs in FS 2.5 and FS 5.0 had a greater serum ALT ( < 0.05), while AST activity significantly increased in pigs of FS 5.0 ( < 0.05). Dietary MMT supplementation decreased serum Mg content in a linear and quadratic manner ( < 0.05), while Zn and Cu contents were linearly decreased ( < 0.05). Serum Zn and Cu contents of pigs in FS 0.5, FS 2.5, and FS 5.0 groups were lower than those in the control. Pigs fed with 2.5% and 5% MMT showed hepatic histopathological changes, including swelling, granular and vesicular degeneration, and apparent vacuolar degeneration. In addition, the content of serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) decreased in a linear and quadratic manner ( < 0.05). Compared to the control, 5.0% MMT significantly increased piglets' serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and decreased GSH-PX activity ( < 0.05). T-AOC concentration in the pigs fed 2.5% and 5.0% MMT was lower than that in the control group ( < 0.05). Serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity changed in a quadratic manner ( < 0.05). Piglets in FS 1.0 showed a higher SOD activity when compared with the control ( < 0.05). These results indicate that supplementation of MMT higher than 1.0% can negatively affect liver structure and serum mineral content, and 5.0% MMT supplementation would also decrease feed intake, aggravate liver damage, and reduce the antioxidant capacity of starter pigs. Therefore, excess supplementation of MMT is not safe in starter pigs.

Mitochondrial biogenesis is decreased in skeletal muscle of pig fetuses exposed to maternal high-energy diets.

Mitochondria plays an important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Moreover, mitochondrial biogenesis accompanies skeletal myogenesis, and we previously reported that maternal high-energy diet repressed skeletal myogenesis in pig fetuses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of moderately increased maternal energy intake on skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and function of the pig fetuses. Primiparous purebred Large White sows were allocated to a normal energy intake group (NE) as recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) and a high energy intake group (HE, 110% of NRC recommendations). On day 90 of gestation, fetal umbilical vein blood and longissimus (LM) muscle were collected. Results showed that the weight gain of sows fed HE diet was higher than NE sows on day 90 of gestation (P<0.05). Maternal HE diet increased fetal umbilical vein serum triglyceride and insulin concentrations (P<0.05), and tended to increase the homeostasis model assessment index (P=0.08). Furthermore, HE fetuses exhibited increased malondialdehyde concentration (P<0.05), and decreased activities of antioxidative enzymes (P<0.05) and intracellular NAD+ level (P<0.05) in LM muscle. These alterations in metabolic traits of HE fetuses were accompanied by reduced mitochondrial DNA amount (P<0.05) and down-regulated messenger RNA expression levels of genes responsible for mitochondrial biogenesis and function (P<0.05). Our results suggest that moderately increased energy supply during gestation decreases mitochondrial biogenesis, function and antioxidative capacity in skeletal muscle of pig fetuses.

Benzoic acid beneficially affects growth performance of weaned pigs which was associated with changes in gut bacterial populations, morphology indices and growth factor gene expression.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of benzoic acid (BA) on growth performance, intestinal development and intestinal barrier function in weaned pigs. Ninety weaned pigs were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: a basal diet (CON), the basal diet supplemented with 2000 mg/kg benzoic acid (BA1) and 5000 mg/kg benzoic acid (BA2). At the end of days 14 and 42, six pigs per treatment were randomly selected to collect plasma and intestinal samples. Results showed that BA supplementation not only improved final body weight, daily growth and feed conversion ratio from days 15 to 42 and days 1 to 42, but also decreased the activity of plasma diamine oxidase (day 42) and the pH values of jejunal contents (day 14) (p < 0.05). Ileal Bacillus populations (day 14) were increased by BA, while Escherichia coli counts in the ileum and caecum (day 42) were decreased (p < 0.05). Higher Lactobacillus counts occurred in the ileum (day 14, 42) of BA1-fed piglets as compared to CON and BA2-fed piglets (p < 0.05). In addition, BA supplementation increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (day 14, 42) and decreased the crypt depth (day 14) (p < 0.05). Growth-stimulating factors (insulin-like growth factor-1, day 42; insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, day 14, 42) and tight junction protein (occludin, day 14, 42; zonula occludens-1, day 42)-related gene mRNA levels were upregulated in the jejunum of piglets fed BA diets (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that BA has beneficial effects on intestinal development and intestinal barrier function of weaned pigs, which can partly explain why growth performance of pigs was improved by dietary BA supplementation.

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

BACKGROUND: The 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. RESULTS: Results 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). CONCLUSIONS: There 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.

Effects of corn type and fasting time before slaughter on growth and plasma index in weaning pigs.

A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary corn type (waxy corn [WC] vs. nonwaxy corn [NC]) and fasting period (2 h vs. 12-16 h) before slaughter on growth and plasma index in weaning pigs. Twenty-four crossbred barrows (8.26 ± 0.47 kg) were allotted to 4 treatments with 6 replications of 1 pig per replicate metabolism cage. Waxy corn contained less fat, a lower amylase:amylopectin ratio, more CP, and more starch than NC. Pigs fed the WC diet had lower jejunum digesta pH compared with those fed the NC diet ( < 0.05). Maltase activity in the jejunum and ileum mucosa ( < 0.01), sucrose activity in the ileum mucosa ( < 0.01), and amylase activity in the pancreas and jejunum digesta ( < 0.05) were increased in pigs fed the WC diet relative to those fed the NC diet. But the total tract apparent digestibility (TTAD) of starch and CP was lower for the WC group ( < 0.05). Ingestion of the NC diet resulted in higher ( < 0.05) ADG and ADFI in the second week but did not affect ADG ( = 0.091) and the feed:gain ratio (F:G; = 0.077) during the whole experiment period. The plasma glucose ( < 0.01) concentration was higher and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; < 0.01) concentrations was lower in the hepatic portal vein in pigs fed the WC diet relative to those fed the NC diet. Fasting 2 h before slaughter decreased the jejunum and ileum digesta pH compared with the 12-h fasting group ( < 0.01). Villus height increased in the duodenum ( < 0.01) and jejunum ( < 0.05) and the villus height:crypt depth ratio increased in the duodenum ( < 0.05) of pigs after shortening the fasting period before slaughter. Shortening the fasting time before slaughter resulted in higher plasma glucose ( < 0.05) concentrations and a higher HDL-C:low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ratio ( < 0.05) whereas the LDL-C ( < 0.05) concentrations were reduced in the hepatic portal vein. The results of this experiment indicate that although the production performance of both WC and NC diets is equal, the glucose concentration is higher and HDL-C is lower in the portal vein for the WC diet, and fasting time before slaughter has an influence on the plasma index and intestinal morphology in weaning pigs.

Dietary spray-dried chicken plasma improves intestinal barrier function and modulates immune status in weaning piglets.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary addition of spray-dried chicken plasma (SDCP) as a replacement for spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) on serum biochemistry, intestinal barrier function, immune parameters, and the expression of intestinal development-related genes in weaning pigs. One hundred and forty-four 25-d-old weaning piglets with BW of 6.43 ± 0.39 kg were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments: 1) CON (basal diet; control), 2) SDPP (containing 5% SDPP), 3) SDPP + SDCP (containing 2.5% SDPP and 2.5% SDCP), and 4) SDCP (containing 5% SDCP). After a 28-d trial, 6 pigs from each treatment were randomly selected to collect serum and intestinal samples. On d 14 after the initiation of the trial, pigs in the SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and SDCP groups had an increase ( < 0.05) in serum concentrations of total protein and IgG and a decrease ( < 0.05) in activities of alanine aminotransferase and diamine oxidase compared with the CON group. In the jejunum, supplementation with SDPP and SDCP reduced ( < 0.05) the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and upregulated ( < 0.05) the mRNA levels of zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), zonula occludens 2 (ZO-2), occludin (OCLN), Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP2), and IGF-1 compared with the CON group. In the ileum, feeding SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and SDCP decreased ( < 0.05) the concentrations of TNF-α and secretory IgA (sIgA) and upregulated ( < 0.05) the mRNA levels of claudin 1 (CLDN-1) and TLR2 compared with feeding CON. However, there were no differences among the SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and SDCP groups. Furthermore, supplementation with SDCP reduced ( < 0.05) the concentration of IL-10 and upregulated ( < 0.05) the mRNA levels of GLP-2, mucin 2 (MUC2), and trefoil factor family 3 (TFF3) in the ileum compared with feeding CON. Collectively, the current results indicate that dietary addition of SDCP has a beneficial influence on the health condition of weaning pigs by alleviating liver damage, promoting intestinal development, improving intestinal barrier function, and reducing overstimulation of immune response. The efficacy of SDCP is comparable to that of SDPP.

Spray-dried chicken plasma improves intestinal digestive function and regulates intestinal selected microflora in weaning piglets.

One hundred forty-four 25-d-old weaning piglets with BW of 6.43 ± 0.39 kg were used in a 28-d trail to evaluate the effects of dietary addition of spray-dried chicken plasma (SDCP) as a replacement for spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, diarrhea incidence, small intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activity, and microflora. Pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments: 1) CON (control; a basal diet), 2) SDPP (containing 5% SDPP), 3) SDPP + SDCP (containing 2.5% SDPP and 2.5% SDCP), and 4) SDCP (containing 5% SDCP). Six pigs from each treatment were randomly selected to collect serum and intestinal samples. Compared with the CON group, both the SDPP and the SDPP + SDCP groups improved final BW of pigs (P < 0.05), but there were no differences among the SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and SDCP groups. From d 1 to 14 and d 15 to 28, pigs fed the SDPP and SDPP + SDCP diets had a greater (P < 0.05) ADG than pigs fed the CON diet. During the overall period, both ADG and ADFI of pigs in the SDPP and SDPP + SDCP groups were improved (P < 0.05) compared with pigs in the CON group. Furthermore, pigs fed diets containing SDPP or SDCP had a greater (P < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of CP, ether extract, Ca, and ash and less (P < 0.05) incidence of diarrhea than pigs fed the CON diet. However, no differences were observed for ATTD and diarrhea incidence between the SDPP and SDCP groups. Compared with the CON group, duodenal villus height and the ratio of villi to crypt were increased (P < 0.05) in the SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and SDCP groups and jejunal crypt depth was decreased in the SDPP + SDCP and SDCP groups (P < 0.05). Pigs in the SDPP group had greater (P < 0.05) activities of amylase, maltase, and trypsin than pigs in the CON group. However, no significant differences were observed between the SDCP and SDPP groups. Additionally, inclusion of SDCP in diet decreased (P < 0.05) the population of Escherichia coli. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the addition of SDCP in pigs' diet had an effect similar to SDPP on improving growth performance through the promotion of the small intestinal development, increasing digestive enzymes activities, enhancing ATTD of nutrients, and decreasing diarrhea incidence.

Differential expression of lipid metabolism-related genes and myosin heavy chain isoform genes in pig muscle tissue leading to different meat quality.

The aim of this study was to investigate the variations in meat quality, lipid metabolism-related genes, myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform genes and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) gene mRNA expressions in longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) of two different pig breeds. Six Rongchang and six Landrace barrows were slaughtered at 161 days of age. Subsequently, meat quality traits and gene expression levels in LM were observed. Results showed that Rongchang pigs not only exhibited greater pH, CIE a*24 h and intramuscular fat content but also exhibited lower body weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, LM area and CIE b*24 h compared with Landrace pigs (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the mRNA expression levels of the lipogenesis (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase) and fatty acid uptake (lipoprotein lipase)-related genes were greater in the Rongchang (P<0.05), whereas the lipolysis (adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone sensitive lipase) and fatty acid oxidation (carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1B)-related genes were better expressed in the Landrace. Moreover, compared with the Landrace, the mRNA expression levels of MyHCI, MyHCIIa and MyHCIIx were greater, whereas the mRNA expression levels of MyHCIIb were lower in the Rongchang pigs (P<0.05). In addition, the mRNA expression levels of PGC-1α were greater in Rongchang pigs than in the Landrace (P<0.05), which can partly explain the differences in MyHC isoform gene expressions between Rongchang and Landrace pigs. Although the small number of samples does not allow to obtain a definitive conclusion, we can suggest that Rongchang pigs possess better meat quality, and the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the better meat quality in fatty pigs may be partly due to the higher mRNA expression levels of lipogenesis and fatty acid uptake-related genes, as well as the oxidative and intermediate muscle fibers, and due to the lower mRNA expression levels of lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation-related genes, as well as the glycolytic muscle fibers.

Lean and obese pig breeds exhibit differences in prenatal gene expression profiles of muscle development.

Muscle development in domesticated animals is important for meat production. Furthermore, intramuscular fat content is an important trait of meat intended for consumption. Here, we examined differences in the expression of factors related to myogenesis, adipogenesis and skeletal muscle growth during fetal muscle development of lean (Yorkshire) and obese (Chenghua) pig breeds. At prenatal days 50 (d50) and 90 (d90), muscles and sera were collected from pig fetuses. Histology revealed larger diameters and numbers of myofibers in Chenghua pig fetuses than those in Yorkshire pig fetuses at d50 and d90. Yorkshire fetuses had higher serum concentrations of myostatin (d90), a negative regulator for muscle development, and higher mRNA expression of the growth hormone receptor Ghr (d90), myogenic MyoG (d90) and adipogenic LPL (d50). By contrast, Chenghua fetuses exhibited higher serum concentration of growth hormone (d90), and higher mRNA expression of myogenic MyoD (d90) as well as adipogenic PPARG and FABP4 (d50). Our results revealed distinct expression patterns in the two pig breeds at each developmental stage before birth. Compared with Chenghua pigs, development and maturation of fetal skeletal muscles may occur earlier in Yorkshire pigs, but the negative regulatory effects of myostatin may suppress muscle development at the later stage.

MicroRNA-27a promotes porcine myoblast proliferation by downregulating myostatin expression.

MicroRNAs are endogenous ~22nt RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level via binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of target mRNAs. The microRNA miR-27a was reported to depress the expression of myostatin, a critical inhibitor of skeletal myogenesis, by binding to its 3'UTR in mouse. In this study, we cloned the full-length 3'UTR of porcine myostatin by rapid amplification of 3'-cDNA ends (3'-RACE) and demonstrated that the 3'UTR of porcine myostatin is targeted by miR-27a. The phenomenon that the level of myostatin inversely correlated with miR-27a was observed in fat and heart of pigs and also in proliferating porcine myoblasts. Besides, overexpression of miR-27a in porcine myoblasts promoted cell proliferation by reducing the expression of myostatin. Our data suggest that miR-27a positive regulates porcine myoblast proliferation via targeting myostatin.