PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶
Confirming gut health without touching the pig
Intestinal integrity refers to how well the structure of the epithelia is maintained. It is increasingly possible to establish gut integrity in live pigs without using invasive methods. Applying this method, it was possible to establish the effects of a β-mannanase enzyme on gut integrity in weaner pigs.
BY DR PEDRO JOSE SANCHEZ AND KARL POULSEN, ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH AND PROFESSOR GUILLERMO RAMIS VIDAL, UNIVERSITY OF MURCIA, SPAIN
T
10 20 30 40
0
he intestine contains epithelial, immune and nervous tissue that regulates the integrity of the epithelial barrier as well as the different functions of the digestive system (degradation of feed and
absorption of nutrients). Weaning starts a critical period in the life of piglets, where the integrity of the intestinal barrier is often damaged, which typically leads to gastrointestinal disorders that can be aggra- vated by different pathogens and antinutritional factors and further disrupt the intestinal epithelia and its ability to absorb nutrients. These morphological and functional changes can have long-term consequences that reduce both animal health and productive performance. Tight junctions are a critical component of the intestinal epi- thelia, because they regulate the space between epithelial
Figure 1 - Expression of markers for intestinal health. OCCLUDIN
ZONULIN
2000 3000 4000 5000
1000 0 0 150000 100000 50000 5000 0 5000 0 *
cells to allow certain nutrients to pass, while micro-organisms and other intestinal content are blocked. Intestinal integrity refers to how well the structure of the epithelia is maintained. A healthy or intact epithelia generally means that the epithe- lial cells are firmly attached to each other, that nutrients are efficiently absorbed and that its critical function as a barrier against infections is effective. This article discusses the use of a non-invasive monitoring system based on analysis for intestinal biomarkers in faeces samples collected from average, apparently healthy pigs to gain information about intestinal integrity and the level of immune activity/inflammation. Results from a nursery trial with β-mannanase will be discussed, where the system was used to assess the effects on intestinal integrity and inflammation.
How to assess the intestinal integrity status Different approaches can be used to investigate intestinal in- tegrity, and there is still much to learn about the best way to use them. The chosen method here is to focus on gene ex- pression analysis that measures the amount of mRNA coding for different markers associated with intestinal health, be- cause the technique is well established and relatively eco- nomical.
Although many different markers can be considered, markers were selected that can be evaluated via rectal faeces samples. Specifically, analysis was conducted for mRNA expression for
CALPROTECTIN
10000 15000 20000
*
IFN-γ
10000 15000 20000
TGF-β
21-61 days of life
* Hemicell HT, Elanco. 18 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 2, 2021
CONTROL β-mannanase*
CONTROL β-mannanase*
CONTROL β-mannanase*
CONTROL β-mannanase*
CONTROL β-mannanase*
Relative quantification
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
