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Schregel J, Schulze Holthausen J, Sciascia QL, Görs S, Li Z, Tuchscherer A, Albrecht E, Zentek J, Metges CC. Acute and persistent effects of oral glutamine supplementation on growth, cellular proliferation, and tight junction protein transcript abundance in jejunal tissue of low and normal birthweight pre-weaning piglets. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296427. [PMID: 38165864 PMCID: PMC10760696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Breeding for higher fertility has resulted in a higher number of low birthweight (LBW) piglets. It has been shown that LBW piglets grow slower than normal birthweight (NBW) littermates. Differences in growth performance have been associated with impaired small intestinal development. In suckling and weaning piglets, glutamine (Gln) supplementation has been associated with improved growth and intestinal development. This study was designed to examine the effects of oral Gln supplementation on growth and small intestinal parameters in LBW and NBW suckling piglets. At birth (day 0), a total of 72 LBW (1.10 ± 0.06 kg) and 72 NBW (1.51 ± 0.06) male piglets were selected. At day 1, litters were standardized to 12 piglets, and experimental piglets supplemented daily with either Gln (1 g/kg BW) or isonitrogenous amounts of Alanine (Ala) as control (1.22 g/kg BW) until day 12. Creep feed was offered from day 14 onward. Subgroups of piglets were euthanized at days 5, 12, and 26 for the analyses of jejunal morphometry, cellular proliferation, glutathione concentration and transcript abundance of tight junction proteins. From age day 11 to 21, Gln supplemented LBW (LBW-Gln) piglets were heavier than Ala supplemented LBW (LBW-Ala) littermates (P = 0.034), while NBW piglets were heavier until age day 26 compared to LBW littermates. Villus height was higher in LBW-Gln compared to LBW-Ala on age day 12 (P = 0.031). Sporadic differences among supplementation and birthweight groups were detected for jejunal cellular proliferation, cellular population and glutathione concentration, whereas age was the most dominant factor. These results show that Gln supplementation improved the growth of LBW piglets compared to LBW-Ala beyond the termination of Gln supplementation, but this was not associated with consistent effects on selected parameters of jejunal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Schregel
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | | | - Quentin L. Sciascia
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Solvig Görs
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Zeyang Li
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Armin Tuchscherer
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Elke Albrecht
- Institute of Muscle Biology and Growth, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Jürgen Zentek
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelia C. Metges
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Dummerstorf, Germany
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Zhu M, Lai W, Yao L, Xu E, Chen X, Zhang YY, Li XG. Glutamine Regulates Gene Expression Profiles to Increase the Proliferation of Porcine Intestinal Epithelial Cells and the Expansion of Intestinal Stem Cells. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2917. [PMID: 37760316 PMCID: PMC10525449 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The intestinal epithelium is known for its rapid self-renewal, and glutamine is crucial in providing carbon and nitrogen for biosynthesis. However, understanding how glutamine affects gene expression in the intestinal epithelium is limited, and identifying the essential genes and signals involved in regulating intestinal epithelial cell growth is particularly challenging. In this study, glutamine supplementation exhibited a robust acceleration of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and stem cell expansion. RNA sequencing indicated diverse transcriptome changes between the control and glutamine supplementation groups, identifying 925 up-regulated and 1152 down-regulated genes. The up-regulated DEGs were enriched in the KEGG pathway of cell cycle and GO terms of DNA replication initiation, regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity, DNA replication, minichromosome maintenance protein (MCM) complex, and ATP binding, whereas the down-regulated DEGs were enriched in the KEGG pathway of p53 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, and JAK-STAT signaling pathway and GO terms of inflammatory response and intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway in response to endoplasmic reticulum stress. Furthermore, GSEA analysis revealed a significant up-regulation of the cell cycle, DNA replication initiation, ATP-dependent RNA helicase activity, and down-regulation of the TNF signaling pathway. The protein-protein association network of the intersecting genes highlighted the significance of DNA replication licensing factors (MCM3, MCM6, and MCM10) in promoting intestinal epithelial growth in response to glutamine. Based on these findings, we propose that glutamine may upregulate DNA replication licensing factors, leading to increased PI3K/Akt signaling and the suppression of TNF, JAK-STAT, and p53 pathways. Consequently, this mechanism results in the proliferation of porcine intestinal epithelial cells and the expansion of intestinal stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhu
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China; (M.Z.); (E.X.); (X.C.)
- Institute of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Weiming Lai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (W.L.); (L.Y.)
| | - Lewen Yao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (W.L.); (L.Y.)
| | - E Xu
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China; (M.Z.); (E.X.); (X.C.)
- Institute of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China; (M.Z.); (E.X.); (X.C.)
| | - Yi-yu Zhang
- Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China; (M.Z.); (E.X.); (X.C.)
| | - Xiang-Guang Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (W.L.); (L.Y.)
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Arnaud EA, Gardiner GE, Lawlor PG. Selected Nutrition and Management Strategies in Suckling Pigs to Improve Post-Weaning Outcomes. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1998. [PMID: 37370508 DOI: 10.3390/ani13121998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Weaning is a critical period in a pig's life. Piglets are confronted with abrupt changes to their physical and social environment, as well as management and nutritional changes. Weaning has always been associated with a growth check and is frequently accompanied by post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets. However, rapid increases in litter size in the last decade have increased within-litter piglet weight variation, with piglets now generally lighter at weaning, making the challenges associated with weaning even greater. Many interventions can be employed during the suckling period to ease the weaning transition for piglets. Pre-weaning strategies such as supervised farrowing (assistance with suckling and oxytocin provision), the provision of pain relief to sows around farrowing, split-suckling, early oral supplementation with glucose, bovine colostrum, faecal microbiota transplantation, feed additives and solid and liquid creep feeding (milk and liquid feed) have all been investigated. The objective of these strategies is to stimulate earlier maturation of the digestive tract, improve immunity, reduce latency to the first feed post-weaning and increase early post-weaning feed intake and growth. This review focuses in particular on: (1) pain relief provision to sows around farrowing, (2)split-suckling of piglets, (3) pre-weaning provision of supplementary milk and/or liquid feed, (4) other strategies to stimulate earlier enzyme production (e.g., enzyme supplementation), (5) other nutritional strategies to promote improved gut structure and function (e.g., L-glutamine supplementation), and (6) other strategies to modulate gut microbiota (e.g., probiotics and prebiotics). Correctly implementing these strategies can, not only increase post-weaning growth and reduce mortality, but also maximise lifetime growth in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa A Arnaud
- Teagasc Pig Development Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, P61 C996 County Cork, Ireland
- Eco-Innovation Research Centre, Department of Science, Waterford Campus, South East Technological University, X91 K0EK Waterford, Ireland
| | - Gillian E Gardiner
- Eco-Innovation Research Centre, Department of Science, Waterford Campus, South East Technological University, X91 K0EK Waterford, Ireland
| | - Peadar G Lawlor
- Teagasc Pig Development Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, P61 C996 County Cork, Ireland
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