Ileal alkaline phosphatase is upregulated following functional amino acid supplementation in Salmonella Typhimurium-challenged pigs.

Functional amino acid (FAA) supplementation has been shown to improve gut health and antioxidant defense in weaned piglets challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium (ST), regardless of dietary protein content. The beneficial effects were further improved when pigs were adapted to FAA for 2 wk prior to the ST challenge. Recent evidence has shown that intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), which may be influenced by nutritional factors, attenuates intestinal inflammation, possibly due to gut microbiota modulation. This study is the first to identify that ileal IAP activity is increased following FAA supplementation in ST-challenged pigs, regardless of adaptation period. Moreover, ileal IAP activity correlated with systemic markers of antioxidant defense, which highlights the enzyme's role in attenuating systemic infection. Overall, the development of feeding strategies with positive effects on IAP activity is of interest, due to the enzyme's central role on the gut and whole-body homeostasis and health.