Non-anemic Iron Deficiency from Birth to Weaning Does Not Impair Growth or Memory in Piglets

Abstract

Early iron deficiency is associated with impaired (cognitive) development, the severity of which depends on the timing and duration of the under-supply of iron. To design effective treatment and prevention strategies for iron deficiency in humans, suited animal models are needed. In an earlier study (Antonides et al., 2015b) we separated 10 pairs of piglets from their mothers within a few days after birth and reared one sibling with artificial iron-deficient (ID) and the other with balanced control milk until weaning. ID piglets grew slower and showed poorer reference memory (RM) performance than their controls in a spatial holeboard task, even weeks after iron repletion. One putative intervening factor in that study was pre-weaning maternal deprivation. In an attempt to refine the piglet iron-deficiency model, we assessed whether piglets reared by sows, but withheld iron supplementation, can serve as animal model of iron deficiency. As sow milk is inherently ID, piglets normally receive a prophylactic iron injection. Ten pairs of piglets were housed with foster sows until weaning (4 weeks). One sibling per pair was randomly assigned to the control group (receiving iron dextran injections: 40 mg iron per kilogram body mass on days 3 and 10), the other to the ID group. From weaning, all pigs were fed a balanced commercial diet. Blood samples were taken in week 1, 3.5, 6, and 12. Pre-weaning blood iron values of ID piglets were lower than those of controls, but recovered to normal values after weaning. Hemoglobin of ID piglets did not reach anemic values. Hematocrit and hemoglobin of ID animals did not decrease, and serum iron even increased pre-weaning, suggesting that the piglets had access to an external source of iron, e.g., spilled feed or feces of the foster sows. Growth, and spatial memory assessed in the holeboard from 10 to 16 weeks of age, was unaffected in ID pigs. We conclude that sow-raised piglets are not a suitable model for iron-deficiency induced cognitive deficits in humans. Based on our previous and the present study, we conclude that growth and memory are only impaired in piglets that suffered from pre-weaning anemia.

Longitudinal Effects of Iron Deficiency Anemia and Subsequent Repletion on Blood Parameters and the Rate and Composition of Growth in Pigs

“…Taken together, the effects of iron deficiency on the infant can be severe, especially if iron deficiency is left untreated and progresses to IDA. The extent of detrimental outcomes in response to iron deficiency are dependent on the timing and severity of deficiency experienced [ 3 , 4 ]. Clinically, the most significant impact of IDA are effects on red blood cells, though this is known to recover quickly with dietary iron repletion.…”

Haematological changes associated with porcine haemoparasitic infections in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

“…Adejinmi et al, (2004) reported anaemia as a reliable indicator for the severity of haemoparasitic infections. 4.58% of the total blood sample was parasitemic and showed anaemia, while 0.65% were parasitemic but did not show anaemia, this could be due to a low parasitaemia or dehydration (Antonides et al, 2016), 36.60% of the total blood samples were anaemic but aparasitaemic and this could be as a result of other causes of anaemia such as malnutrition (Jennings 1976), stress or other infectious agents asides haemoparasites (Obi and Anosa, 1980), a greater percentage (58.17%) of the blood sample were non-anaemic and aparasitemic. Eperythrozoon suis caused more severe anaemia (20 ± 9.89) compared with Trypanosoma brucei (27 ± 3.03).…”

Early-Life Nutrition and Neurodevelopment: Use of the Piglet as a Translational Model

“…Porcine milk is known to have low iron concentrations; as such, it is common agricultural practice to supplement piglets with an iron dextran injection to deliver ;250 mg Fe early in life. As a follow-up study to their artificially reared iron-deficient piglets, Antonides et al (71) assessed iron deficiency in piglets that were maternally reared and then provided iron-replete feed from 4 to 16 wk of life. Sibling pairs were divided into 2 groups, iron deficient (i.e., saline injection on days 3 and 10 of life) or iron sufficient (i.e., iron dextran shot on days 3 and 10 of life), and allowed to ingest maternal milk throughout the preweaning period.…”