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The inclusion of n-3 long-chain fatty acids in sow and piglet post-weaning diets modifies ileal mucosa immune indicators of low- and high-birth-weight piglets at the end of the post-weaning period

Published: July 22, 2022
By: E. Llauradó-Calero 1, I. Badiola 2, A. M. Pérez de Rozas 2, R. Lizardo 1, D. Torrallardona 1, E. Esteve-Garcia 1, and N. Tous 1 / 1 Animal Nutrition, IRTA, Constantí, Tarragona, Spain; 2 CReSA, IRTA, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
Summary

Although n-3 long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) are associated with anti-inflammatory effects, very little is known about their effects on the gut immunity of weaned piglets. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of n-3 LCFA in sow and piglet diets on different immune indicators of ileal piglet mucosa 28 d post-weaning. Twelve sows were randomly assigned to a control or an n-3 LCFA diet from insemination until weaning. At birth, the 2 lowest (LBW) and the 2 highest birth weight (HBW) piglets per litter were selected; at weaning, one piglet of each birth weight was randomly assigned to either a control or an n-3 LCFA diet. At the end of the post-weaning period, all piglets were sacrificed and mucosa samples from ileum were collected to determine immune indicators by RT-PCR. An interaction between piglet diet and piglet birth weight was observed for tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) (P = 0.022) and toll-like receptor (TLR)2 (P= 0.050). The highest TNF-α concentration was found in HBW piglets fed n-3 LCFA while the lowest was in LBW piglets fed the same diet. However, the highest concentration of TLR-2 was observed in LBW piglets fed the n-3 diet and the lowest in LBW piglets fed the control diet. Moreover, an interaction between maternal diet, piglet diet, and piglet birth weight was detected for interleukin 2 (IL-2) (P = 0.044), interferon γ (INF-γ) (P = 0.037) and TLR-4 (P = 0.001). The highest concentrations of IL-2 and TLR-4 were found in HBW piglets fed the n-3 LCFA maternal and control piglet diet. However, the lowest concentration of IL-2 was observed in HBW piglets fed the control maternal and piglet diet, and the lowest concentrations of TLR-4 in LBW piglets fed the maternal n-3 LCFA and piglet control diet. In terms of INF-γ, the highest concentration was found in LBW piglets fed maternal and piglet control diet, and the lowest in HBW piglets fed maternal and piglet n-3 LCFA diet. To conclude, the inclusion of n-3 LCFA in sow and piglet post-weaning diets modifies gut immunity differently depending on piglet birth weight.

Key Words: swine nutrition, n-3 long-chain fatty acids, gut immunity.

          

Presented at the 9th Symposium on Gut Health in Production of Food Animals, St. Louis, USA, 2021. For information on the next edition, click here.

Related topics
Authors:
Ignacio Badiola
Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA)
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Rosil Lizardo
IRTA
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David Torrallardona
IRTA
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Enric Esteve-Garcia
IRTA
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