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Intestinal damage in weanling pigs following a nutritional insult is transient
Author(s) -
Levesque Crystal L,
Ridder Karl,
Skinner Larry D,
Lange Cornelius FM
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.825.3
Subject(s) - weanling , jejunum , ileum , crypt , zoology , medicine , biology , endocrinology , andrology
Forty pigs were used to evaluate the long‐term effect of nutritional insult on measures of intestinal development in weanling pigs. Pigs were weaned at 21±2 days of age and fed diets ad libitum containing either high (H) or low (L) quality protein sources for 6 wks. Growth performance was monitored weekly. Pigs were killed at wk 2 and 4. Sections of proximal jejunum and distal ileum were taken for histology and ileal digesta was sampled. Pigs on L had lower ( P = 0.002) daily gain in wks 1–3 but not different in wks 4–6 compared to H pigs. Similarly, feed efficiency in pigs on L was lower ( P < 0.05) during wks 2–3 but not different in wks 4–6. In the proximal jejunum, villus height was lower ( P = 0.03) at wk 2 in pigs on L (356 vs 427 μm) but not different at wk 4 (527 vs 492 μm). There was no difference in crypt depth but villus height:crypt depth ratio increased ( P = 0.04) from wk 2 to wk 4 (1.7 vs 2.2) in pigs on L and did not change in pigs on H (2.3 vs 2.5). Pigs on H tended to have a greater ( P < 0.17) proportion of proliferating cells in the jejunum at wk 2 and 4. In wk 2, digesta amine concentration was higher ( P = 0.06) in pigs on L. Diet quality did not impact gut morphology or cell proliferation at the distal ileum. Low quality protein sources reduced overall growth performance in weanling pigs but the negative effect of protein quality on gut morphology was transient. Recovery in feed utilization in pigs on L was likely due to rapid recovery of intestinal function.