Curcumin and Intestinal Oxidative Stress of Pigs With Intrauterine Growth Retardation: A Review

Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) refers to the slow growth and development of a mammalian embryo/fetus or fetal organs during pregnancy, which is popular in swine production and causes considerable economic losses. Nutritional strategies have been reported to improve the health status and growth performance of IUGR piglets, among which dietary curcumin supplementation is an efficient alternative. Curcumin is a natural lipophilic polyphenol derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa with many biological activities. It has been demonstrated that curcumin promotes intestinal development and alleviates intestinal oxidative damage. However, due to its low bioavailability caused by poor solubility, chemical instability, and rapid degradation, the application of curcumin in animal production is rare. In this manuscript, the structural-activity relationship to enhance the bioavailability, and the nutritional effects of curcumin on intestinal health from the aspect of protecting piglets from IUGR associated intestinal oxidative damage were summarized to provide new insight into the application of curcumin in animal production.

Weaning stress and intestinal health of piglets: A review

“…The gastrointestinal digestive enzymes are involved in the regulation of growth and development of animals, because digestive enzymes can improve the feed efficiency by digestion and in turn to modulate the process of nutrient metabolism ( 46 ). Therefore, the activities and secretion of digestive enzymes in the small intestine are important indicators to evaluate intestinal development and digestive capacity in weaned pigs ( 38 , 47 ). Absorptive intestinal epithelial cells are the main cell type in the crypt-villus axis ( 48 ), which has the function of secreting a variety of digestive enzymes such as disaccharidase, peptidases, and phosphatase ( 49 – 52 ).…”

“…It has been confirmed that intestinal morphology is associated with changes in intestinal digestive enzyme activities ( 14 , 27 , 32 , 56 , 57 ). Small intestinal disaccharidases (lactase, maltase, and sucrase) are the key enzymes of carbohydrate digestion and absorption in piglets ( 47 ). However, the activity and digestion ability of disaccharidases decreased significantly after weaning, which is considered to be an important cause of diarrhea in weaned piglets ( 57 – 59 ).…”

Fecal Microbial Changes in Response to Finishing Pigs Directly Fed With Fermented Feed

“…The gut microbiota maintains a symbiotic relationship with the host and regulates several important functions including host metabolism, nutrients digestion and absorption, immunity, and intestinal barrier function (5,29). So, the dynamic balance of intestinal microbiota is crucial for animal intestinal health, while optimum intestinal health is crucial to animal growth and health (30,31). Growing shreds of evidence demonstrated that many factors including diets can affect the gut microbiota community and function (6,7,29,32,33).…”

Dietary sodium butyrate administration alleviates high soybean meal-induced growth retardation and enteritis of orange-spotted groupers (Epinephelus coioides)

“…exogenous pathogens (Tang et al, 2022). Butyric acid is generally considered as an important substance for the energy supply and proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells (Biagi et al, 2007).…”