Use of pigs as a potential model for research into dietary modulation of the human gut microbiota

Abstract

The human intestinal microbial ecosystem plays an important role in maintaining health. A multitude of diseases including diarrhoea, gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders, such as necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) of neonates, and obesity are linked to microbial composition and metabolic activity. Therefore, research on possible dietary strategies influencing microbial composition and activity, both preventive and curative, is being accomplished. Interest has focused on pre-and probiotics that stimulate the intestinal production of beneficial bacterial metabolites such as butyrate, and beneficially affect microbial composition. The suitability of an animal model to study dietary linked diseases is of much concern. The physiological similarity between humans and pigs in terms of digestive and associated metabolic processes places the pig in a superior position over other non-primate models. Furthermore, the pig is a human-sized omnivorous animal with comparable nutritional requirements, and shows similarities to the human intestinal microbial ecosystem. Also, the pig has been used as a model to assess microbiota -health interactions, since pigs exhibit similar syndromes to humans, such as NEC and partly weanling diarrhoea. In contrast, when using rodent models to study diet -microbiota -health interactions, differences between rodents and humans have to be considered. For example, studies with mice and human subjects assessing possible relationships between the composition and metabolic activity of the gut microbiota and the development of obesity have shown inconsistencies in results between studies. The present review displays the similarities and differences in intestinal microbial ecology between humans and pigs, scrutinising the pig as a potential animal model, with regard to possible health effects.

Influence of pectin supplementation on feed fermentation characteristics in rats and pigs

“…In turn, the change of DF population by supplementing pectin is expected to modulate the microbiota composition. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the predominant phyla in both rats and pigs (Chapters 4 and 5), as reported before (Heinritz et al, 2013;Tomas et al, 2012). Soluble pectin supplementation increased the abundance of Firmicutes and decreased the abundance of Bacteroidetes in rats (Chapter 4).…”

Effects of Dietary and Lighting Conditions on Diurnal Locomotor Activity and Body Temperature in Microminipigs

“…As large mammals, dogs have been used to study the effects of dietary and lighting conditions on LA, showing a diurnal pattern (13); however, these models represent carnivores, although adapted to starch-rich diets, in contrast to the dietary habits of humans (14,15). Pigs as domestic animals have dietary habits (omnivorous) and diurnal behaviors similar to those of humans (16). Therefore, the pig is a suitable animal model for determining the influence of dietary and lighting conditions on LA and BT (17).…”

“…Rodents and dogs differ from humans in dietary habits and behaviors. Swine, such as minipigs, are omnivorous and diurnal animals (13,14,16,17). We suggest that minipigs are a useful model to evaluate the effects of dietary and lighting conditions on biological activities because of the similar dietary habits and behaviors to humans.…”

Miniature Swine for Preclinical Modeling of Complexities of Human Disease for Translational Scientific Discovery and Accelerated Development of Therapies and Medical Devices

“…In the swine gut, Bacteroides spp. and bifidobacteria of the human gut can be successfully established, while such groups of bacteria will not colonize the rodent gastrointestinal tract (Heinritz, Mosenthin, and Weiss 2013). Gnotobiotic piglets colonized with the fecal microbiomes of infant or adult humans maintain a profile for weeks or more resembling the implant in terms of phylogeny, diversity, and phylogenetic distance (Zhang, Widmer, and Tzipori 2013).…”