Amount and source of dietary copper affects small intestine morphology, duodenal lipid peroxidation, hepatic oxidative stress,and mRNA expression of hepatic copper regulatory proteins in weanling pigs1,2

Abstract

Thirty weanling, crossbred barrows (SUS SCROFA) were used to determine the effects of amount and source of dietary Cu on small intestinal morphology and lipid peroxidation, Cu metabolism, and mRNA expression of proteins involved in hepatic Cu homeostasis. At 21 d of age, pigs were stratified by BW (6.33 ± 0.23 kg) and allocated to 1 of the following dietary treatments: i) control (no supplemental Cu; 6.7 mg Cu/kg), ii) 225 mg supplemental Cu/kg diet from Cu sulfate (CuSO(4)), or iii) 225 mg supplemental Cu/kg diet from tribasic Cu chloride (TBCC). Pigs were housed 2 pigs per pen and were fed a 3-phase diet regimen until d 35 or 36 of the study. During harvest, bile and liver were obtained for mineral analysis, and liver samples were also obtained for analysis of liver glutathione (GSH) and mRNA expression of Cu regulatory proteins. Segments of duodenum, proximal jejunum, and ileum were obtained for mucosal morphology, and duodenal mucosal scrapings were collected from all pigs for analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA). Duodenal villus height was reduced in CuSO(4) pigs compared with control (P = 0.001) and TBCC (P = 0.03) pigs. Villus height in the proximal jejunum of CuSO(4) pigs was reduced (P = 0.03) compared with control pigs, but ileal villus height was not affected (P = 0.82) by treatment. Duodenal MDA concentrations were greater (P = 0.03) in CuSO(4) pigs and tended to be greater (P = 0.10) in pigs supplemented with TBCC compared with control pigs. Liver Cu was greater (P = 0.01) in CuSO(4) vs. control pigs, and tended (P = 0.07) to be greater in TBCC pigs than control pigs. Bile Cu concentrations were greater (P < 0.001) in CuSO(4) and TBCC pigs vs. controls and were also greater (P = 0.04) in TBCC vs. CuSO(4) pigs. Total liver GSH concentrations were less (P = 0.02) in pigs fed diets supplemented with CuSO(4) vs. pigs fed control diets but total liver GSH did not differ (P = 0.11) between control and TBCC pigs. Hepatic mRNA of cytochrome c oxidase assembly protein 17 was less (P = 0.01) in CuSO(4) and tended to be less (P = 0.08) in TBCC pigs vs. control pigs. Expression of antioxidant 1 mRNA was greater (P = 0.04) in TBCC pigs and tended to be greater (P = 0.06) in CuSO(4) pigs compared with control pigs. Results of this study indicated that, when fed at 225 mg Cu/kg diet, TBCC may cause less oxidative stress in the duodenum than CuSO(4). Feeding weanling pigs increased Cu resulted in modulation of certain Cu transporters and chaperones at the transcription level.

An Assessment of the Bioavailability of Metals in Soils on Oil Palm Plantations in Nigeria

“…Plants need Cu for the production of chlorophyll and proteins and for various biochemical processes. Concentrations of Cu in our study were toxic and lethal [56]. Symptoms of Cu toxicity include liver and kidney damage, nausea, and diarrhea.…”

Efecto de la Suplementación con Cobre a Nivel Farmacológico sobre el Comportamiento Productivo, Morfometría Intestinal, Cobre Hepático y Fecal en Cuyes (Cavia porcellus)

“…Estos resultados coinciden con Fry et al (2012), quienes encontraron una disminución en la altura de vellosidad a nivel del duodeno y yeyuno proximal a una suplementación de 225 ppm de cobre en la dieta de cerdos destetados. Este autor señala que el cobre puede actuar como agente prooxidante y estar involucrado en la oxidación de los lípidos y el estrés oxidativo sobre las membranas celulares.…”

“…A nivel hepático, la concentración de este mineral se incrementa conforme aumentan los nivel farmacológicos de cobre en la dieta, encontrándose diferencia estadística significativa entre todos los tratamientos (p<0.05). Estos resultados son similares a los obtenidos en cerdos (Fry et al, 2012) (1961), estudiando el proceso de absorción, distribución y excreción de cobre con isótopos marcados, encontraron que cerdos suministrados con 24 ppm de Cu en la dieta tuvieron un nivel de absorción de 8.7%, pero cuando se le suministró 185 ppm de Cu se redujo a 2.9% el nivel de absorción, lo cual demostró que la absorción de cobre es menor del 10% cuando es suplementado a niveles farmacológicos en la dieta de cerdos.…”

Effects of graded levels of cupric citrate on growth performance, antioxidant status, serum lipid metabolites and immunity, and tissue residues of trace elements in weaned pigs

“…The degree of lipid peroxidation could be evaluated by MDA [27]. Reports about the effects of pharmacological Cu in feed on tissue MDA concentrations focused on the duodenum rather than the serum and liver [16,28]. A previous study showed that duodenal MDA contents were higher when pigs were fed 225 mg/kg supplemental Cu as CuSO4 rather than TBCC [16].…”