Front Vet Sci 2020 30;7:575685. Epub 2020 Nov 30.
CAS Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, National Engineering Laboratory for Pollution Control and Waste Utilization in Livestock and Poultry Production, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China.
Nutrients in the maternal diet favor the growth and development of suckling piglets and alter their gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity, thus affecting the hosts. The present study analyzed, in suckling piglets from sows receiving antibiotic or synbiotic supplements from pregnancy to lactation, several biochemical parameters, oxidative/anti-oxidative indices, inflammatory cytokines, and ingestion-related factor levels in plasma, as well as colonic microbiota composition and metabolic activity, and mucosal expression of genes related to the intestinal barrier function. Compared with the control group, maternal synbiotic supplementation decreased ( < 0.05) the plasma levels of glucose, AMM, TC, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), MDA, HO, ghrelin, CCK, PP, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, Ala, Cys, Tau, and β-AiBA, the levels of propionate and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colonic luminal content, and colonic abundances of , and ; while increased ( < 0.05) the plasma levels of urea nitrogen (UN), Ile, Leu, α-AAA, α-ABA, and 1-Mehis, as well as colonic abundances of , and . Compared with the antibiotic group, maternal synbiotic supplementation decreased ( < 0.05) the plasma levels of glucose, gastrin, and Ala, as well as abundances of and and propionate level in the colonic content. Expression of genes coding for E-cadherin, Occludin, ZO-1, ZO-2, IL-10, and interferon-α were down-regulated in the colonic mucosa. The synbiotic supplementation increased ( < 0.05) the plasma levels of UN, Leu, α-ABA, and 1-Mehis, the abundances of , and and expression of genes coding for E-cadherin, Occludin, ZO-1, ZO-2, IL-10, and interferon-α. Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between colonic abundance and acetate and SCFAs levels; whereas a negative correlation between and abundances and acetate level. These findings suggest that synbiotic supplementation in the maternal diet improved nutrient metabolism and intestinal barrier permeability, reduced oxidative stress, and modified colonic microbiota composition and metabolic activity in suckling piglets.