Gut microbiome contributions to altered metabolism in a pig model of undernutrition

Abstract

The concept that gut microbiome-expressed functions regulate ponderal growth has important implications for infant and child health, as well as animal health. Using an intergenerational pig model of diet restriction (DR) that produces reduced weight gain, we developed a feature-selection algorithm to identify representative characteristics distinguishing DR fecal microbiomes from those of full-fed (FF) pigs as both groups consumed a common sequence of diets during their growth cycle. Gnotobiotic mice were then colonized with DR and FF microbiomes and subjected to controlled feeding with a pig diet. DR microbiomes have reduced representation of genes that degrade dominant components of late growth-phase diets, exhibit reduced production of butyrate, a key host-accessible energy source, and are causally linked to reduced hepatic fatty acid metabolism (β-oxidation) and the selection of alternative energy substrates. The approach described could aid in the development of guidelines for microbiome stewardship in diverse species, including farm animals, in order to support their healthy growth.

Changes in the Mucosa-Associated Microbiome and Transcriptome across Gut Segments Are Associated with Obesity in a Metabolic Syndrome Porcine Model

“…Some studies have used a porcine model to investigate these interactions, because pigs and humans have highly similar physiological activities, such as gut microbiome colonization and metabolic and immune functions ( 14 , 15 ). A previous study revealed that an intergenerational pig model of dietary restriction provided an opportunity to understand which features in the developing pig microbiome were causally linked to regulation of various growth parameters ( 16 ). Recently, a study of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) porcine model by our group indicated that a long-term HED altered the microbiome of gut contents, decreasing levels of butyrate-producing bacteria, including the genus Bacteroides and the families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae ( 17 ).…”

Effect of chronic and acute enterotoxigenic E. coli challenge on growth performance, intestinal inflammation, microbiome, and metabolome of weaned piglets

“…A full list of metabolites identified by volcano plot is provided in S1 Table. Metabolomics data related to swine, while growing, is fairly limited 42 – 46 , particularly metabolomics pertaining to piglets in a diseased stated, most of which are serum or tissue based 47 – 50 . The Human Metabolome Database 51 is much more comprehensive, particularly for diseased states, than the Livestock Metabolome Database 52 .…”

Dietary Aronia melanocarpa Pomace Supplementation Enhances the Expression of ZO-1 and Occludin and Promotes Intestinal Development in Pigs

“…In addition to the digestion and absorption of various nutrients, the intestinal tract is also the main place for microbial colonization. There are tens of thousands of microorganisms (including fungi, viruses and bacteria) in the intestinal tract of mammals, which play an important role in maintaining the stability of the intestinal environment and the health of the host ( 30 ). Changes in feed composition may affect the composition of intestinal microorganisms.…”