Effect of prenatal stress on subsequent response to mixing stress and a lipopolysaccharide challenge in pigs1

Abstract

Sows subjected to prenatal stress have been found to produce offspring that have altered responses to stress. Our objective was to determine if exposing a sow to stress would alter the response of the offspring to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 2 mo of age or their response to mixing stress at 4 mo of age. Sow treatments consisted of intravenous injections of ACTH (1 IU/kg of BW), exposure to rough handling for a 10-min duration (rough), or no treatment (control) once per week from d 42 to 77 of gestation. At 2 mo of age, pigs from each treatment, 1 per litter (n = 21, 17, and 15 for the ACTH, rough, and control treatments, respectively), were challenged with 2 μg of LPS/kg of BW or saline, or served as a noninjected control. Their behavioral response to a human approach test and salivary cortisol were measured. At 4 mo of age, 1 pig from each treatment (n = 14, 14, and 15 for the ACTH, rough, and control treatments, respectively) was taken from its home pen and placed in a pen of unfamiliar pigs. At this time, a punch biopsy wound (6 × 6 mm) was created to measure the ability of the pig to heal the wound. At this same time, each pig received a 1-mL intramuscular injection of 20% ovine red blood cells (oRBC), and then a second injection of oRBC at 21 d postmixing. Blood samples were collected 3 times per week for 2 wk and then once a week for 4 more weeks. Blood samples were analyzed for cortisol, porcine corticosteroid-binding globulin, antibody response to oRBC, and nitric oxide production by macrophages. Behavior was recorded during the first 5 d after mixing. All pigs in the LPS challenge responded with characteristic sickness behavior; however, pigs in the rough treatment showed less sickness behavior than those in the other 2 treatments (P < 0.05). Maternal stress treatment did not affect (P < 0.43) salivary cortisol. Pigs from all treatments responded similarly to mixing stress with regard to cortisol, porcine corticosteroid-binding globulin, antibody titers, nitric oxide production, and hematology measures, and all pigs experienced the same amount of aggression in response to mixing. Without altering peripheral measures of stress responsivity, prenatal stress enhanced the ability of pigs to cope with a simulated immune challenge, which could prove to be an adaptation to challenging environments.

Effects of L-proline on the Growth Performance, and Blood Parameters in Weaned Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged Pigs

“…Because lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been used as a tool to induce sickness behavior in the pigs (Lay et al, 2011), we hypothesized that proline could improve growth performance and relieve LPS challenge by reducing intestinal oxidative stress, stimulating some growth factors or hormones secretion, and improving the digestibility in piglets. In modern animal improvement, blood biochemical characteristic is an important indicator (El Darawany and Farghaly, 1999), accordingly, in this study, the growth performance and selected blood metabolites were measured to test our hypothesis.…”

Prenatal stress, immunity and neonatal health in farm animal species

“…Results revealed no significant effect of prenatal stress. Similarly, the antibody production in response to immunization against sheep red blood cells was not altered in piglets born from sows that were ACTH-treated or roughly handled during mid-gestation (Lay et al, 2011).…”

“…Blood cell cultures stimulated with LPS tended to release less IL-6 in 2-month-old prenatally stressed piglets but not in younger ones (Couret et al, 2009a), and to proliferate less at 1 and 35 days of age (Tuchscherer et al, 2002). However, the ability of blood monocytic cells from growing pigs to produce nitric oxide in response to LPS was not altered by rough handling or ACTH treatment occurring during mid-gestation (Lay et al, 2011).…”

“…It has been found accelerated in piglets born from ACTH-treated mothers (Haussmann et al, 2000;Lay et al, 2011). Apart from the inflammatory response, the non-specific immune response was nearly not explored in prenatally stressed farm animals.…”

“…Models of prenatal stress in farm animal species Most of the studies investigating the influence of prenatal stress on factors influencing neonatal survival and immunity in farm animals focused on pigs, using behavioral stressors such as nose sling restraint that involves pain (Tuchscherer et al, 2002), rough treatment (Lay et al, 2011) or social stress (Jarvis et al, 2006;Couret et al, 2009b). Experiments were also conducted using artificial activation of the maternal corticotrope axis with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) injections (Haussmann et al, 2000;Otten et al, 2007) or mimicking corticotrope axis activation by providing pregnant sows with oral cortisol (Kranendonk et al, 2005).…”