Intestinal gene expression profiles of piglets benefit from maternal supplementation with a yeast mannan-rich fraction during gestation and lactation

Abstract

The objective was to study the effect of maternal supplementation with a yeast cell wall-based product containing a mannan-rich fraction (MRF) during gestation and lactation on piglet intestinal gene expression. First parity sows were fed experimental gestation and lactation diets with or without MRF (900 mg/kg). After farrowing, piglets were fostered within treatment, as necessary. Sow and litter production performance data were collected until weaning. On day 10 post farrowing, jejunum samples from piglets were collected for gene expression analysis using the Affymetrix Porcine GeneChip array. Most performance parameters did not differ between the treatments. However, protein ( P < 0.01), total solids less fat ( P < 0.03) and the concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in milk were greater ( P < 0.05) in the MRF-supplemented group. Gene expression results using hierarchical clustering revealed an overall dietary effect. Further analysis elucidated activation of pathways involved in tissue development, functioning and immunity, as well as greater cell proliferation and less migration of cells in the jejunum tissue. In conclusion, feeding the sow MRF during pregnancy and lactation was an effective nutritional strategy to bolster colostrum and milk IgG that are essential for development of piglet immune system and gut. In addition, the gene expression patterns affected by the passive immunity transfer showed indicators that could benefit animal performance long term.Keywords: yeast cell wall, pig, microarray, immunity, intestine ImplicationsSupplementing the sow during gestation and lactation with a yeast cell wall-based product containing a mannan-rich fraction was shown to be an effective nutritional strategy to improve immunity transfer from the sow to piglets. Through nutritional supplementation to the sow, a greater concentration of antibodies was transferred via colostrum and milk to piglets during the critical neonatal period. This enhanced transfer could be expected to improve piglet immunocompetence leading to increased survival rate. In addition, sow diet altered transcript profiles in neonatal intestine to promote proper gut development essential for nutrient absorption suggesting potential long-term performance benefits. IntroductionNutritional strategies to improve neonatal animal performance are fundamental to improve overall animal productivity. Low level antibiotics were historically used to improve performance; however, probiotics and prebiotics have gained considerable attention as performance-enhancing alternatives. Alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters include supplemental yeast and yeast derived products that are beneficial to animal health, growth and performance (van der Peet-Schwering et al., 2007;Shen et al., 2011;Zhao et al., 2012). Mannan oligosaccharide, a family of yeast cell wall containing a mannan-rich fraction (MRF) derivatives, have gained attention for their value and role in immune modulation in swine species (Nochta et al., 2009;Czech et al., 2010;Che et al., 2011;Che et...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast-Based Supplementation as a Galactagogue in Breastfeeding Women? A Review of Evidence from Animal and Human Studies

“…SCY products are widely used as dietary supplements to increase milk yield in ruminants [46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58] and to improve the reproductive performance of sows and growth of offspring [59][60][61][62][63][64][65]. These products include active SCY, inactive SCY (SCYS) and yeast cell wall products (YCWPs), such as beta-glucan, MOS or combined products.…”

“…In the literature, YCWP, but not SCYS, has been used to supplement lactating nonruminants. Four studies that evaluate the effect of YCWP supplementation on sows and one study on rabbit does yield inconsistent results [62][63][64][65]68]. Litter weight was used as the outcome in these studies.…”

“…Supplementing with SCYS significantly increased milk fat in ruminants [53,57,58]. YCWP supplementation also significantly increased total protein in ewe milk [56] and sow milk [64]. SCYS also affected milk protein composition.…”

The challenge of large litters on the immune system of the sow and the piglets

“…Lactocrine signalling properties of colostrum and milk are believed to be critical for optimal neonatal developmental events and to enhance the capacity of neonates to sense, respond and adapt to the circumstances into which they are born (Bartol et al., ). Gene expression pathways involved in tissue development, functions and immunity are also activated in the small intestine and influenced by sow milk composition and consumption when gilts were fed with yeast‐mannan‐rich fraction during gestation and lactation (Graugnard et al., ). Ogawa et al.…”

“…Gene expression pathways involved in tissue development, functions and immunity are also activated in the small intestine and influenced by sow milk composition and consumption when gilts were fed with yeast-mannan-rich fraction during gestation and lactation (Graugnard et al, 2015). Ogawa et al (2016)…”