PSVI-13 - Dietary milk fat globule membrane improves neonatal piglet intestinal architecture and enhances mucosal diamine oxidase activity following lipopolysaccharide challenge

Abstract: Early life stressors alter the trajectory of gut development and impair nutrient utilization, barrier function, and animal performance throughout life. Gastrointestinal (GI) maladies increase morbidity and mortality in neonates, and dietary nutrients are essential in supporting GI function. Although maternal milk is the gold-standard for yielding developmental benefits to offspring, genetic selection in the modern sow has resulted in large litter size and milk yield potentially insufficient to achieve the high biological growth potential in sow-reared piglets. Research into milk quality has led to the identification of many bioactive nutrients important in neonatal development. Components of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) contribute immensely to neonatal nutrition and gut health. However, mechanisms of actions are still being defined. The objective is to define the effect of MFGM supplementation on neonatal piglet intestinal health. We hypothesize dietary MFGM will enhance piglet intestinal architecture and tight junction (TJ) protein abundance, attenuating systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal barrier disruption. Thirty-two one-day-old piglets were assigned to soy (CON) or MFGM phospholipid supplemented diet (0.75% w/w) ± LPS (100 µg/kg body weight) challenge in a 2 × 2 factorial design (n=8/diet/challenge). Piglets were fed for 21 d and 8 animals/diet received saline or LPS injections 4 h prior to euthanasia. Piglet weights and feed intake were recorded daily to calculate performance. Intestinal tissues were collected to assess villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Two biomarkers of intestinal integrity, intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) and diamine oxidase (DAO), were measured in serum or tissue. Protein abundance of claudin-1 and occludin in ileal and colonic mucosa were detected by Western blot. Data were analyzed by 2 × 2 factorial design using the PROC MIXED. Dietary MFGM had no adverse impact on growth performance or TJ proteins (P > 0.05). Dietary MFGM increased VH (CON: 348.8 and MFGM: 427.0 ± 26.79 µm) and decreased CD (CON: 166.3 and MFGM: 147.4 ± 8.42 µm) in ileum, thereby increasing the VH: CD ratio (CON: 2.2; MFGM: 3.1 ± 0.13) (P < 0.05). Further, LPS treatment increased serum I-FABP by 4.4-fold and decreased jejunal mucosal DAO by 0.5-fold compared to saline treatment (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a 93.1 % increase in colon DAO activity with MFGM diet compared to soy-fed pigs, regardless of LPS challenge (P < 0.05). Dietary MFGM improved neonatal piglet ileum architecture and increased colon DAO activity, potentially attenuating the intestinal barrier disruption following LPS challenge.