Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the diet, accounting for the largest proportion in the diets of humans and monogastric animals. Although recent progress has been made in the study of intestinal carbohydrate digestion in piglets, there is a lack of comprehensive study on the dynamic ch...

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Main Authors: Xiaoqian Gao, Bing Yu, Jie Yu, Xiangbing Mao, Zhiqing Huang, Yuheng Luo, Junqiu Luo, Ping Zheng, Hui Yan, Jun He, Daiwen Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.896660/full
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author Xiaoqian Gao
Bing Yu
Jie Yu
Xiangbing Mao
Zhiqing Huang
Yuheng Luo
Junqiu Luo
Ping Zheng
Hui Yan
Jun He
Daiwen Chen
author_facet Xiaoqian Gao
Bing Yu
Jie Yu
Xiangbing Mao
Zhiqing Huang
Yuheng Luo
Junqiu Luo
Ping Zheng
Hui Yan
Jun He
Daiwen Chen
author_sort Xiaoqian Gao
collection DOAJ
description Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the diet, accounting for the largest proportion in the diets of humans and monogastric animals. Although recent progress has been made in the study of intestinal carbohydrate digestion in piglets, there is a lack of comprehensive study on the dynamic changes in intestinal carbohydrate digestion with age in the early growth stage of piglets. To fill in this gap of knowledge, we collected samples of the small intestine, pancreatic tissues, and colonic digesta from 42 piglets during newborn [day (d) 0], lactation (d 7, 14), weaning (d 21), and nursery (d 28, 35, and 42) stages. Intestinal and pancreatic tissues and colonic digesta were collected at necropsy and analyzed for morphology, digestive enzyme activities, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and microbial abundance. Villus height reached a maximum at 1 week (d 7) in the duodenum and jejunum (P <0.01), and a higher ratio of villus height to crypt depth and lactase activity were observed on d 0 and 7 (P < 0.001) compared to other ages. However, the sucrase and maltase activities were increased with piglets' age. Similar activities of sucrase and maltase were found in the small intestine. In addition, amylase, lipase, and protease activities were assayed in the pancreas. The activity of amylase increased with age, while lipase and protease decreased gradually from birth to weaning (d 21, 28) and then increased after weaning (d 35, 42). Compared with d 0, d 42 increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes with a higher concentration of total SCFA (P < 0.001) and decreased the abundance of Proteobacteria, but weaning (d 21, 28) increased the abundance of Proteobacteria in the colon. These results indicate that with the increase in piglet age, the carbohydrate digestive function gradually increased, but weaning hindered the development of intestinal function. These results provide us with new insights into the healthy development of piglets' intestines, which may help us to better regulate the physiological health of piglets in the future.
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spelling doaj.art-0694160a046545f09f55061184a4f4f42022-12-22T02:08:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2022-04-011310.3389/fmicb.2022.896660896660Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in PigletsXiaoqian GaoBing YuJie YuXiangbing MaoZhiqing HuangYuheng LuoJunqiu LuoPing ZhengHui YanJun HeDaiwen ChenCarbohydrates are the main source of energy in the diet, accounting for the largest proportion in the diets of humans and monogastric animals. Although recent progress has been made in the study of intestinal carbohydrate digestion in piglets, there is a lack of comprehensive study on the dynamic changes in intestinal carbohydrate digestion with age in the early growth stage of piglets. To fill in this gap of knowledge, we collected samples of the small intestine, pancreatic tissues, and colonic digesta from 42 piglets during newborn [day (d) 0], lactation (d 7, 14), weaning (d 21), and nursery (d 28, 35, and 42) stages. Intestinal and pancreatic tissues and colonic digesta were collected at necropsy and analyzed for morphology, digestive enzyme activities, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and microbial abundance. Villus height reached a maximum at 1 week (d 7) in the duodenum and jejunum (P <0.01), and a higher ratio of villus height to crypt depth and lactase activity were observed on d 0 and 7 (P < 0.001) compared to other ages. However, the sucrase and maltase activities were increased with piglets' age. Similar activities of sucrase and maltase were found in the small intestine. In addition, amylase, lipase, and protease activities were assayed in the pancreas. The activity of amylase increased with age, while lipase and protease decreased gradually from birth to weaning (d 21, 28) and then increased after weaning (d 35, 42). Compared with d 0, d 42 increased the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes with a higher concentration of total SCFA (P < 0.001) and decreased the abundance of Proteobacteria, but weaning (d 21, 28) increased the abundance of Proteobacteria in the colon. These results indicate that with the increase in piglet age, the carbohydrate digestive function gradually increased, but weaning hindered the development of intestinal function. These results provide us with new insights into the healthy development of piglets' intestines, which may help us to better regulate the physiological health of piglets in the future.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.896660/fullcarbohydratemicrobiomebirthweaningpiglet
spellingShingle Xiaoqian Gao
Bing Yu
Jie Yu
Xiangbing Mao
Zhiqing Huang
Yuheng Luo
Junqiu Luo
Ping Zheng
Hui Yan
Jun He
Daiwen Chen
Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets
Frontiers in Microbiology
carbohydrate
microbiome
birth
weaning
piglet
title Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets
title_full Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets
title_fullStr Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets
title_full_unstemmed Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets
title_short Developmental Profiling of Dietary Carbohydrate Digestion in Piglets
title_sort developmental profiling of dietary carbohydrate digestion in piglets
topic carbohydrate
microbiome
birth
weaning
piglet
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.896660/full
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