Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum on the intestinal morphology, intestinal barrier function and microbiota composition of suckling piglets

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum strain 299v on gut health in suckling piglets. Sixty newborn piglets were assigned to control and probiotic treatments, with three litters per treatment (ten piglets/litter). From days 1 to 20 of life, piglets were orally administered a placebo of 0.1% peptone or 1.0 × 1010 CFU L. plantarum 299v daily. Six piglets per treatment were sacrificed on day 20, and intestinal tissues (including duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon) and the intestinal contents from colon segments were collected. The results demonstrated that piglets treated with L. plantarum 299v had a lower diarrhoea incidence than the controls. L. plantarum 299v administration significantly increased the ratio of the villus height to the crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum, as well as the mRNA expression of jejunal occludin and ileal zonula occludens 1 (ZO‐1). The L. plantarum treatment also increased the mRNA abundance of porcine β‐defensin 2 (pBD2) and pBD3 in the jejunum and ileum and of toll‐like receptors (TLRs), such as TLR2, TLR4, TLR6 and TLR9 in the ileum, and significantly upregulated the mRNA abundances of ileal pBD1 and colonic TLR4. Additionally, the L. plantarum 299v treatment significantly changed the structure of the colonic microbiota, as evidenced by the obvious increases in the relative abundances of the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and of the genus Lactobacillus. Our findings indicate that L. plantarum 299v facilitates the gut health of suckling piglets, probably by improving the intestinal morphology and intestinal barrier function and by modifying the structure of the gut microbiota.

The Murine Reg3a Stimulated by Lactobacillus casei Promotes Intestinal Cell Proliferation and Inhibits the Multiplication of Porcine Diarrhea Causative Agent in vitro

“…It means that L.casei treatment may increase the antimicrobial-peptides gene expression. Similar results were shown in some studies and indicated that Lactobacillus strain treatment increased the mRNA abundance of porcine β-defensin 2 (pBD2) and pBD3 in the piglet's jejunum and ileum (Zhang et al, 2011;Wang Q. et al, 2019). In a time series analysis of antimicrobial peptide expression, we found that the most antimicrobial peptide gene in GO terms which enriched significantly by DEGs was upregulated within days 10 with L.casei treatment.…”

Dietary Postbiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Improves Serum and Ruminal Antioxidant Activity and Upregulates Hepatic Antioxidant Enzymes and Ruminal Barrier Function in Post-Weaning Lambs

“…Post-weaning piglets received L. plantarum in the diet had improvement in the regulation of tight junction proteins (claudin-1, occludin and zona-occluden-1 (ZO-1)) concurrently with the strengthening of epithelium and modulating gut microbiota [55]. In suckling piglets, L. plantarum administration in the diet upregulated the jejunal OCLD, ileal ZO-1 and jejunal and the ileum of porcine B-defensin with an improvement of intestinal morphology and increment of relative abundance of phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and genus Lactobacillus [56]. Orally supplemented mice with L. plantarum-fermented milk modulated the intestinal barrier function and ameliorated the enteric infection by Salmonella through the evaluation of intestinal permeability and histopathology [57].…”

Dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 alters the intestinal microbiota and metabolites in weaned piglets

“…Microbial colonization plays an important role in intestinal homeostasis and metabolism (Turnbaugh et al 2009;Wang et al 2019). Probiotics, alive microbial agents, have been demonstrated to confer a beneficial role in the gut health via controlling intestinal pathogens and regulating intestinal microbiota composition and immune function (Schoster et al 2013;Sokale et al 2019).…”

“…2009; Wang et al . 2019). Probiotics, alive microbial agents, have been demonstrated to confer a beneficial role in the gut health via controlling intestinal pathogens and regulating intestinal microbiota composition and immune function (Schoster et al .…”