Maternal Amino Acid Mixtures Supplementation during Late Gestation and Lactation Improved Growth Performance of Piglets through Improving Colostrum Composition and Antioxidant Capacity.

During late gestation and lactation, oxidative stress in sows can affect their health and reproductive performance. Supplemental amino acid contributes to the antioxidant capacity of pigs. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different combinations of Gln, Leu and γ-GABA (amino acid mixtures, AAMs) during late gestation and lactation on the performance of the sows and their offspring. Fifty large white × landrace sows were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n = 10), including a control group and four AAMs groups (AAMs1, Gln + Leu; AAMs2 (Gln + GABA; AAMs3, Leu + GABA; AAMs4, Gln + Leu + GABA). AAMs supplementation improved the antioxidant capacity of sows, including significantly enhanced total antioxidant capacity in AAMs2, 3 and 4 groups and reduced malonaldehyde concentration in AAMs1, 3 and 4 groups. Additionally, all AAMs significantly increased lactoprotein, total solid and IgA levels of colostrum in sows during lactation. Average body weight of piglets on day 21 after birth in all AAMs groups were significantly increased. Furthermore, the significantly increased total antioxidant capacity was observed in the piglets of every AAMs group. In conclusion, supplementing AAMs during late gestation and lactation improved the antioxidant capacity of sows and colostrum composition, thereby enhancing antioxidant status and the growth performance of piglets. This study provides the possibility of maternal amino acid mixtures to improve the productivity of the swine industry.

Intrauterine growth restriction alters nutrient metabolism in the intestine of porcine offspring.

BACKGROUND: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) has negative impacts on the postnatal survival, growth and development of humans and animals, with not only on newborns but also adulthood. However, the characteristics for nutrient digestion and absorption in IUGR offspring are still largely unknown. Therefore, the normal birth weight (NBW) and IUGR growing pigs were used in this study to investigate their differences in nutrient utilization, with an expectition for further nutritional optimization of the IUGR offspring during their later life. METHODS: Twelve IUGR and 12 NBW growing pigs were fitted with catheters in their portal vein to measure blood flow rate as well as nutrients and metabolites in plasma. The digestibilities of nutrients in different intestinal segments, and bacterial fermentation in the large intestine were examined to reveal the characteristics of nutrients utilization in IUGR versus NBW pigs. RESULTS: The rate of portal venous blood flow did not differ beween IUGR and NBW pigs. Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were much lower but those of urea were higher in the portal vein of IUGR pigs, compared with the NBW pigs. The ileal digestibility of dry matter, gross energy and starch were lower in IUGR pigs than in NBW pigs. IUGR increased hindgut microbial diversity and bacterial fermentation activity in the caecum. In vitro cross-fermentation of ileal digesta by caecal microbes of NBW and IUGR pigs showed that gas production was much higher for IUGR ileal digesta regardless of the source of caecal inocula. CONCLUSION: IUGR impairs the nutrient digestion and absorption in small intestine, reduces caecal microbial diversity and promotes bacterial fermentation in the large intestine during the growing phase. These findings aid in our understanding of nutrient metabolism in IUGR pigs and provide the basis for future nutritional interventions.

Integrative Analysis of Energy Partition Patterns and Plasma Metabolomics Profiles of Modern Growing Pigs Raised at Different Ambient Temperatures.

This study explores the energy partition patterns of modern growing pigs at 25 kg and 65 kg raised at gradient-ambient temperatures. It also investigates the underlying changes in plasma under such conditions, based on the integrative analysis of indirect calorimetry and non-target metabolomics profiling. Thirty-six barrows with initial BW of 26.4 ± 1.9 kg and 24 barrows with initial BW of 64.2 ± 3.1 kg were successively allotted to six respiration chambers with ambient temperatures set as 18 °C, 21 °C, 23 °C, 27 °C, 30 °C, and 32 °C, and four respiration chambers with ambient temperatures set as 18 °C, 23 °C, 27 °C, and 32 °C, respectively. Each pig was kept in an individual metabolic crate and consumed feed ad libitum, then transferred into the respiration chamber after a 7-day adaptation period for 5-day indirect calorimetry assay and 1-day fasting. As the ambient temperature increased from 18 °C to 32 °C, the voluntary feed intake, metabolizable energy intake, nitrogen intake, and retention, total heat production, and energy retention as a protein of growing pigs at 25 kg and 65 kg all linearly decreased (p < 0.05), with greater coefficients of variation for pigs at 65 kg when temperatures changed from 18 °C to 32 °C. The cortisol and thyroid hormone levels in the plasma of 25 kg pigs linearly decreased as the ambient temperature increased from 18 °C to 32 °C (p < 0.05), and 13 compounds were identified through metabolomics analysis, including up-regulated metabolites involved in fatty acid metabolism, such as adrenic acid and down-regulated metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism, such as spermidine at 32 °C. These results suggested that modern growing pigs at heavier bodyweight were more sensitive to high temperatures on energy intake and partition. Most of the identified metabolites altered at high ambient temperatures are associated with suppressed fatty acid oxidation and elevated lipogenesis and protein degradation.

Transcriptome Differences Suggest Novel Mechanisms for Intrauterine Growth Restriction Mediated Dysfunction in Small Intestine of Neonatal Piglets.

Impaired intestinal function is frequently detected in newborns with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), whereas the mechanism between transcriptome profiles and small intestinal dysfunction is still unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted by using IUGR neonatal piglets to uncover the mechanism underlying intestinal dysfunction. Neonatal piglets with IUGR and normal birth weight (NBW) were sacrificed at birth. Transcriptomic sequencing was performed on jejunum samples and generated 18,997 and 17,531 genes in NBW and IUGR groups, respectively. A total of 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; of note, only seven were mapped to the genome reference database, with two up-regulated (HSF4 and NR1H4; heat shock transcription factor 4 and nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group H member 4, respectively) and five down-regulated (SLC35C1, BTNL3, BPI, NLRP6, and SLC5A8; Solute carrier family 35 member C1, butyrophilin like 3, bactericidal permeability increasing protein, NLR family pyrin domain containing 6, and solute carrier family 5 member 8, respectively). Combining an enrichment analysis and reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation of DEGs, our results proved the lipid metabolism disorder, intestinal dysfunction, and inflammatory response in IUGR piglets. Here, IUGR piglets presented lower concentration of glucose and triglyceride and higher concentration of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma, compared with NBW piglets. Histological analysis revealed decreased mucins and increased apoptosis in both jejunum and ileum for IUGR piglets. Collectively, we found that IUGR induced intestinal dysfunction by altering lipid metabolism, intestinal barrier, and inflammatory response in neonatal piglets at birth, which provides new insights into the prevention and treatment of IUGR that protects against metabolic disorders and inflammatory-related diseases.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs Contributed to Growth and Meat Quality Differences between Yorkshire and Wannanhua Pig.

There are major differences between Yorkshire (lean-type) and Wannanhua pig (fat-type) in terms of growth performance and meat quality. Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are a class of regulators that are involved in numerous biological processes and widely identified in many species. However, the role of lincRNAs in pig is largely unknown, and the mechanisms by which they affect growth and meat quality are elusive. In this study, we used published data to identify 759 lincRNAs in porcine longissimus dorsi muscle. These putative lincRNAs shared many features with mammalian lincRNAs, such as shorter length and fewer exons. Gene ontology and pathway analysis indicated that many potential target genes (PTGs) of lincRNAs were involved in muscle growth-related and meat quality-related biological processes. Moreover, we constructed a co-expression network between differentially expressed lincRNAs (DELs) and their PTGs, and found a potential mechanism that most DELs can use to upregulate their PTGs, which may finally contribute to the growth and meat quality differences between the two breeds through an unknown manner. This work details some lincRNAs and their PTGs related to muscle growth or meat quality, and facilitates future research on the roles of lincRNAs in these two types of pig, as well as molecular-assisted breeding for pig.