Histological alterations of intestinal villi in growing pigs fed soybean and pigeon pea seed meals

Abstract

Mekbungwan, A., Yamauchi, K. and Thongwittaya, N. 2003. Histological alterations of intestinal villi in growing pigs fed soybean and pigeon pea seed meals. Can. J. Anim Sci. 83: 755-760. To clarify whether specific damage to intestinal tissue is induced by feeding pigs pigeon pea seed meal (PM), growing pigs were fed soybean meal (SM) or PM, and intestinal villi and epithelial cells on the tip of villi were compared using light and electron microscopy. Fifteen 85-d-old pigs were allotted to three groups of five animals each. Within each group, a pig was randomly assigned to: (1) a conventional (control) diet, (2) SM or (3) raw PM for 10 d. At the end of the experiment three pigs per group were randomly slaughtered. Intestinal villus height, cell area and cell mitosis tended to be highest in the SM group and lowest in the PM group. Dome-like cells were seen on the surface of villi in SM group, but flat cells were observed in the PM group. These histological data suggest that intestinal villi are much more activated in pigs fed SM than PM. However, the fact that physical damage was not observed on the tips of villi in pigs fed PM suggests that raw PM could be used as a plant protein source by adding it as a supplement to conventional diets. (1) ration ordinaire (témoin), (2) TS ou 3) PC brut pendant dix jours. Au terme de l'expérience, trois animaux ont été prélevés au hasard dans chaque groupe et abattus. La hauteur des villosités, la surface cellulaire et la mitose ont tendance à être plus importantes chez les animaux du groupe TS que chez ceux du groupe PC. On observe des cellules en dôme à la surface des villosités des animaux du groupe TS alors que chez ceux du groupe PC, ces cellules sont plates. Ces données histologiques donnent à penser que les villosités intestinales sont beaucoup plus mises à contribution chez les porcs nourris de TS que chez ceux recevant du PC. Néanmoins, l'absence de dommages à l'extrémité des villosités chez ces derniers laisse croire que le PC brut pourrait être utilisé comme source de protéines végétales sous forme de supplément dans les rations habituelles.

Digestibility of Soybean and Pigeon Pea Seed Meals and Morphological Intestinal Alterations in Pigs

“…The villus height showed a rapid alteration after rearing under various conditions [10,22,25], and the villus height and epithelial cells on the villus tip recovered immediately after refeeding in pigs [18]. The villi of the small intestine as well as epithelial cells on the duodenal villi were histologically much more hypertrophied in pigs fed SM than in those fed PM [19]. These studies suggest that the histological intestinal alterations might be directly related to intestinal function.…”

“…From this histological data, we suggest that intestinal villi and epithelial cells are much more hypertrophied in pigs fed SM than in pigs fed PM. As the villus length was not affected by dietary fiber [12], the previous lower values of light microscopic parameters in pigs fed PM [19] were not affected by high fiber in PM but by the low digestibility and the anti-nutritional factors of PM. With regard to epithelial cells, a high-fiber diet did not affect villus shape or surface morphology in jejunum, although some loss of epithelial cells at the villus apex was observed [21].…”

“…In the present pigs fed SM, higher values of the growth performance and nutrient digestibility than those fed PM were observed. The small intestine of these SM animals had the higher values in the intestinal villus height, cell area and cell mitosis than those of PM [19], and epithelial cells on the villus apical surface showed a dome-like shape in the duodenum [19] and in the present jejunum; epithelial cells of the PM animals were a flat shape. It has been suggested that greater villus height and numerous cell mitosis in the intestine are indicators that the function of the intestinal villi is activated [14,35], and that the dome-like cells are hypertrophied [16,17].…”

Effects of a charcoal powder–wood vinegar compound solution in piglets for raw pigeon pea seed meal

“…However, it is speculated that these changes can also be explained as resulting from the adaptive mechanisms of the gastrointestinal tract in response to PM and CWVC diets. Histology of the intestinal villi and epithelial cells on the villi apical surface in piglets (Mekbungwan et al, 2003) and chickens (Yamauchi et al, 2006b) are well known to be affected by dietary feed components. Values of the present villus height, cell area and cell mitosis numbers were lower in the PM groups compared with CONT.…”

Eggshell Quality, Eggshell Structure and Small Intestinal Histology in Laying Hens Fed Dietary Pantoea-6®and Plant Extracts

“…The morphological differences among the intestinal parts would be induced by the nutrients in the diets (Mekbungwan et al, 2003;Yamauchi et al, 2006) and the intestinal absorptive function of each segment (Rattanavut and Yamauchi, 2012). The present results show that most light microscopy parameters (villus height and area, cell area and mitosis) in all intestinal segments tended to have higher values in both treatment groups than in the control.…”