Soybean meal allergenic protein degradation and gut health of piglets fed protease-supplemented diets

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of protease supplementation on degradation of soybean meal (SBM) allergenic proteins (glycinin and β-conglycinin) and gut health of weaned pigs fed soybean meal-based diets. In Experiment 1, two SBM samples from 2 different sources were subjected to porcine in vitro gastric degradation to determine the effects of protease (at 15,000 U/kg of feedstuff) on degradation of the soybean allergenic proteins. In Experiment 2, forty-eight weaned pigs (body weight = 6.66 kg) were obtained in 2 batches of 24 pigs each. Pigs were individually housed in metabolic crates and fed 4 diets (12 pigs/diet). The diets were corn-based diet with SBM 1 or SBM 2 without or with protease at 15,000 U/kg of diet in 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Diets were fed for 10 d and pigs were sacrificed on d 10 for measurement of small intestinal histomorphology, permeability of small intestine mounted in Ussing chambers, and serum concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Two SBM sources (SBM 1 and SBM 2) contained 46.9 or 47.7% CP, 14.0 or 14.6% glycinin, and 9.90 or 10.3% β-conglycinin, respectively. Protease and SBM source did not interact on any of the response criteria measured in the current study. Protease supplementation tended to increase (P = 0.069) the in vitro gastric degradation of glycinin. Protease supplementation tended to reduce (P = 0.099) fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran 4,000 Da (which is a marker probe for intestinal permeability) flow in jejunum, and reduced (P = 0.037) serum TNF-α concentration. Protease did not affect small intestinal histomorphology. In conclusion, protease tended to increase gastric degradation of glycinin, and reduce gut permeability, and serum concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines, indicating that the protease used in the current study can be added to SBM-based diets for weanling pigs to improve gut health.

Protease supplementation attenuates the intestinal health damage caused by low-protein diets in Pekin ducks

“…This is why protease supplementation can reduce plasma ET and IL-6 concentration in the present study. Park et al. (2020) also observed that protease added to soybean meal–based diets could improve gut health to reduce serum concentration of proinflammatory cytokines in weanling pigs.…”

Modification of Gut Microbiota and Immune Responses via Dietary Protease in Soybean Meal-Based Protein Diets

“…Moreover, immediate conversion to a solid diet causes gut epithelial inflammation [ 9 ]. In particular, soybeans contain allergenic substances that cause villous atrophy, decrease growth performance, and impair intestinal integrity [ 27 , 28 ]. The results of the present study also confirmed that PRO addition can reduce the number of WBC, an indicator of inflammatory responses.…”

Integrated Transcriptome and Proteome Analyses of β-Conglycinin-Induced Intestinal Damage in Piglets

“…Studies have established that β-conglycinin (β-CG) is a highly allergenic protein in soybean that accounts for approximately 30% of soybean globulin. , β-CG primarily consists of three homologous subunits: α′, α, and β . Previous studies have reported that β-CG affects functional and morphological alterations in the intestine, including antioxidant enzyme levels, autophagy, , inflammatory cytokines, and epithelial cell injury . Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of β-CG-induced intestinal damage could provide an effective strategy for the application of soy products in piglet feed.…”