Changes in Ileal Microbial Composition and Microbial Metabolism by an Early-Life Galacto-Oligosaccharides Intervention in a Neonatal Porcine Model

Abstract

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), functional oligosaccharides with natural characteristics, are important active substances in milk that play an important role in the development of intestinal microbiota and the immune system of newborns. The intestinal maturation of piglets resembles that of human newborns and infants. Therefore, we used the newborn piglet model to study the effects of early-life GOS intervention. Six litters of neonatal piglets (10 piglets per litter) with the same average birth weight were divided into control (CON) and GOS (GOS) groups in each litter. Piglets in the GOS group were given 10 mL of GOS solution daily during the first week after birth, while piglets in the CON group were given the same dose of physiological saline orally. One pig per group from each litter was euthanized on day 8 and day 21. Results revealed that ileal microbiota composition was significantly enriched in Lactobacillus and unclassified Lactobacillaceae, and reduced in Clostridium sensu stricto on day 8 and day 21 after GOS intervention. Additionally, Escherichia significantly decreased on day 21 following the early-life GOS intervention. Moreover, the content of microbial metabolites, endocrine peptides, and the mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and antimicrobial peptides increased in the GOS group. These findings provide guidelines for early prebiotic supplementation for lactating newborns.

Association between Altered Blood Parameters and Gut Microbiota after Synbiotic Intake in Healthy, Elderly Korean Women

“…This finding is similar to the findings of studies involving prebiotic administration in neonatal pigs. When comparing the prebiotic intervention group and the control group, Terrisporobacter was more prevalent in the control group after prebiotic administration [ 60 ]. The mechanism by which consumption of synbiotic beverages decreases Terrisporobacter abundance should be studied.…”

Effects of the Administration of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis CECT 7210 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Their Synbiotic Combination With Galacto-Oligosaccharides Against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4 in an Early Weaned Piglet Model

“…The experimental prebiotic containing galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) was in a syrup form and was thoroughly mixed with the diet by hand every day to guarantee a homogenous blend (no visual lumps). The final GOS concentration was 5% (w/w) trying to reach the amount of oligosaccharides provided by human milk (5-10 g/L; Kunz et al, 2017) and also based in previous studies supplementing GOS to neonatal and weaned piglets (Alizadeh et al, 2016;Tian et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2019). When mixed in the SYN diet, GOS was mixed prior to the probiotics.…”

Swine gut microbiota and its interaction with host nutrient metabolism

“…Dietary changes including changes in diet composition ( Liu et al., 2018 ; Yu et al., 2019 ; Zhou et al., 2016 ), nutritional levels ( Lin et al., 2019 ), energy resources ( Papadomichelakis et al., 2012 ), and diet types ( Huang et al., 2020 ) had been widely proven to shape the gut microbiota communities. Antibiotics ( Schweer et al., 2017 ), prebiotics ( Tian et al., 2019 ; Zhu et al., 2016 ), probiotics ( Cao et al., 2016 ; Lv et al., 2015 ), organic acids ( Wang et al., 2019a ; Yu et al., 2017 ), essential oils ( Li et al., 2018 ), lactoferrin ( Hu et al, 2020 ), and milk-replacer may also regulate the gut microbiota communities and thus exert beneficial effects on piglets. In addition, other intervention approaches (e.g.…”