Effect of weaning age on intestinal mucosal morphology, permeability, gene expression of tight junction proteins, cytokines and secretory IgA in Wuzhishan mini piglets

Xun, Wenjuan; Shi, Liguang; Zhou, Hanlin; Hou, Guanyu; Cao, Ting

doi:10.1080/1828051x.2018.1426397

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Weaning age is a controversial topic of discussion regarding performance and welfare, with typical weaning age varying between production systems and countries. Most studies agree that weaning at an early age (<21 days old) exacerbate the effect of weaning stress (Smith et al, 2010;Xun et al, 2018) but our results suggest that later weaning at 35d could also have negative impact on the piglets welfare.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Gut transcriptome reveals differential gene expression and enriched pathways linked to immune activation in response to weaning in pigs

Bon

Tötemeyer

Emes

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Weaning represents one of the most critical periods in pig production associated with increase in disease risk, reduction in performance and economic loss. Physiological changes faced by piglets during the weaning period have been well characterised, however little is currently known about the underlying molecular pathways involved in these processes. As pig meat remains one of the most consumed sources of protein worldwide, understanding how these changes are mediated is critical to improve pig production and consequently sustainable food production globally. In this study, we evaluated the effect of weaning on transcriptomic changes in the colon of healthy piglets over time using an RNA-sequencing approach.The findings revealed a complex and coordinated response to weaning with the majority of genes found to be rapidly differentially expressed within one day post weaning. Multiple genes and pathways affected by weaning in the colon were associated with immune regulation, cell signalling and bacterial defence. NOD-like receptors, Toll-like receptor and JAK-STAT signalling pathways were amongst the pathways significantly enriched. Immune activation was evidenced by the enrichment of pathways involved in interferon response, cytokines interactions, oxidoreductase activities and response to microbial invasion. Biosynthesis of amino acids, in particular arginine, was also amongst the most enriched KEGG pathways in weaned pigs, reinforcing the critical role of arginine in gut homeostasis under stress conditions.Overall, transcriptomic and physiological results suggest that pigs going through the weaning transition undergo a transient period of inflammatory state with a temporary breakdown of barrier functions in the gut. These findings could provide valuable tools to monitor host response post weaning, and may be of particular relevance for the investigation and development of intervention strategies aimed to reduce antibiotic use and improve pig health and performance.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Gut transcriptome reveals differential gene expression and enriched pathways linked to immune activation in response to weaning in pigs

Bon

Tötemeyer

Emes

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Wuzhishan pig is a miniature pig breed originating from Hainan Island of China. In the previous study, we found that weaning at the 35th day after birth was more beneficial to the intestinal barrier function of Wuzhishan piglets than weaning at the 21st day after birth (33). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of single and combined use of CUR and PIP on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, and antioxidant capacity of 35-day-old weaned Wuzhishan piglets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effect of the Single and Combined Use of Curcumin and Piperine on Growth Performance, Intestinal Barrier Function, and Antioxidant Capacity of Weaned Wuzhishan Piglets

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study was conducted to evaluate effects of the single and combined use of curcumin (CUR) and piperine (PIP) on performance, intestinal barrier function, and antioxidant capacity of weaned piglets. A total of 50 Wuzhishan piglets weaned at 35 days of age were randomly assigned to five groups receiving a corn-soybean basal diet (CON), the basal diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg piperine, 200 mg/kg curcumin (low-CUR), 200 mg/kg curcumin + 50 mg/kg piperine (PIP + CUR), and 300 mg/kg curcumin (high-CUR), respectively. The results showed that the feed/gain ratio (F/G) and plasma d-lactate and diamine oxidase activity (DAO) of the CUR + PIP and high-CUR groups were lower than those of the CON group (all P < 0.05), while the jejunum and ileum villus height, the villus height/crypt depth ratio, and the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occluden-1 in jejunal and ileal mucosa were higher in the CUR + PIP and high-CUR groups than in the CON group (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the piglets in the CUR + PIP and high-CUR groups had higher serum and intestinal mucosa activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and lower malonaldehyde concentration than piglets in the CON group (all P < 0.05). The above parameters were not significantly different between the CUR + PIP and high-CUR groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the combination of CUR and PIP seemed to be as advantageous as high-CUR to piglets, but it was more effective than the single use of CUR and PIP. These data indicated that the basal diet supplemented with CUR + PIP or high-CUR could improve the intestinal permeability and suppress oxidative stress of weaned Wuzhishan piglets.

show abstract

“…The weaning age of modern pig systems has declined over time [30]. It has been reported that weaning of Wuzhishan piglets at 21 days of age old may have positive effects on the adaptive immune system [31]. Some researchers have explored the quantitative changes in the two main stem cell populations between the small intestines of 0-and 21-day-old piglets [32]; however, the difference on the physical and immunological components of small intestines between neonatal and weaned piglets remains unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single-blinded Study Highlighting the Differences between the Small Intestines of Neonatal and Weaned Piglets

Chen

Jin

Shah

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The gut is the body’s major immune structure, and the gut mucosa, which contains intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and subepithelial natural immune cells, is considered the primary site for eliciting local immune responses to foreign antigens. Pigs are susceptible to intestinal infections at all life stages; however, neonates tend to be the most susceptible. This study compared the small intestine of neonatal and weaned piglets to provide a theoretical basis for preventing intestinal infectious diseases in neonatal piglets. Results: Histological analyses of weaned piglet intestines showed increased crypt depth, higher IEL count, and larger ileal Peyer’s patches compared with those of neonates. Additionally, the ileal villi of weaned piglets were longer than those of neonatal piglets. The expression of claudin-3 and occludin protein was remarkably higher in weaned piglets than in neonatal piglets. The numbers of CD3 + T cells, goblet cells, and secretory cells were also higher in the small intestine of weaned piglets than in those of neonates. The number of secretory IgA-positive cells in the jejunum was not significantly different between neonatal and weaned piglets. The gene expression of 12 pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as TLR1–10, MDA5, and RIG-I in the small intestines of both neonatal and weaned piglets was also examined. The mRNA expression of most pattern recognition receptors genes in the duodenum and jejunum was higher in weaners than in neonates; however, the inverse was true in the ileum. Compared with that in weaned piglets, there were significantly fewer CD3 + , CD4 + , and CD8 + T cells from peripheral blood-mononuclear cells in neonatal piglets. Conclusions: In this study, the physical and immunological components of small intestines of neonatal and weaned piglets were investigated. Our results provide preliminary data on differences in the immune mechanisms between the small intestines of 0- and 21-day-old piglets. Future studies could focus on additional developmental stages of pigs and how the differences in their small intestines affect the animal’s response to pathogens

show abstract

Effect of weaning age on intestinal mucosal morphology, permeability, gene expression of tight junction proteins, cytokines and secretory IgA in Wuzhishan mini piglets

Cited by 20 publications

References 39 publications

Gut transcriptome reveals differential gene expression and enriched pathways linked to immune activation in response to weaning in pigs

Gut transcriptome reveals differential gene expression and enriched pathways linked to immune activation in response to weaning in pigs

Effect of the Single and Combined Use of Curcumin and Piperine on Growth Performance, Intestinal Barrier Function, and Antioxidant Capacity of Weaned Wuzhishan Piglets

Single-blinded Study Highlighting the Differences between the Small Intestines of Neonatal and Weaned Piglets

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About