Prenatal programming of the small intestine in piglets: the effect of supplementation with 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid (HMB) in pregnant sows on the structure of jejunum of their offspring

Abstract

When discussing the scale of the occurrence of diseases of the digestive system in farm animals, particularly pigs in the weaning period, it may be beneficial to study physiological and nutritional factors that could potentially affect the growth, development, and modelling of the structure and function of the digestive tract. Taking into account the reports on the beneficial effects of ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (HMB) administration in the prenatal period on the development of various systems it was assumed that the HMB supplementation to pregnant sows can influence intestinal development in the offspring during weaning. Thus, the present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of HMB treatment of pregnant sows on jejunum development in offspring at weaning. From 70th day until the 90th day of gestation, sows received either a basal diet (n = 12) or the same diet supplemented with HMB (n = 12) at the dose of 0.2 g/kg of body weight/day. HMB given during prenatal time reduced the thickness of the longitudinal muscle; the apoptotic cell index in epithelium also significantly decreased after the HMB supplementation. Vasoactive intestinal (poly)peptide (VIP) expression in submucosal ganglia significantly increases in prenatally HMB treated piglets. The same strong reaction was observed with the expression of occludin, claudin-3, E-cadherin, and leptin in the jejunal epithelium. The obtained results indicate that the administration of HMB to pregnant sows significantly influenced the expression of VIP, leptin and some proteins of the intestinal barrier of their offspring less influencing the basal morphology.

Maternal acrylamide exposure changes intestinal epithelium, immunolocalization of leptin and ghrelin and their receptors, and gut barrier in weaned offspring

“…The analyses were performed using ImageJ software 82 . PSR staining was used distinguish between type I and type III collagen in examined SI samples, where type I (mature) collagen fibres appear orange or red, and type III (immature) fibres appear green in polarized light 83 , 84 .…”

Yolk Fatty Acid Profile and Amino Acid Composition in Eggs from Hens Supplemented with ß-Hydroxy-ß-Methylbutyrate

“…Upon arrival, hens were kept in cages accommodating two birds per cage, in compliance with the established housing regulations for research involving farm animals in the field of agriculture (cage dimensions of 30 × 120 × 50 cm, w × d × h, ensuring 1800 cm 2 of floor space per hen). The experimental timeline consisted of a pre-experimental phase (age weeks [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], during which all birds were provided with the standard soybean-wheat-cornbased commercial pre-laying and laying diet. At the commencement of the experimental phase (age weeks 31-60), the birds were randomly allocated to either the control group or the group receiving dietary supplementation with ß-Hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (the HMB group).…”

“…Studies on pigs supplemented with HMB have shown that it regulates lipid metabolism, promoting fat oxidation, which could potentially improve body composition and aid in fat loss [22][23][24]. Additionally, HMB enhanced piglets bone health by promoting bone formation, reducing resorption, and increasing bone density [25][26][27][28].…”

Immunoexpression of Spexin in Selected Segments of the Bovine (Bos taurus taurus) Gastrointestinal Tract

“…The reaction areas were manually delineated using the freehand selection tool. The staining intensity was determined based on the 'average grayscale value' parameter [27]. The grayscale pixel color value ranged from 0 to 255, where 0 was the darkest shade (black pixel) and 255 was the lightest shade (white pixel).…”