Impact of dietary fat levels and fatty acid composition on milk fat synthesis in sows at peak lactation

Background Dietary fat is important for energy provision and immune function of lactating sows and their progeny.However,knowledge on the impact of fat on mammary transcription of lipogenic genes,de novo fat synthesis,and milk fatty acid(FA)output is sparse in sows.This study aimed to evaluate impacts of dietary fat levels and FA composition on these traits in sows.Forty second-parity sows(Danish Landrace×Yorkshire)were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments from d 108 of gestation until weaning(d 28 of lactation):low-fat control diet(3%added animal fat);or 1 of 4 high-fat diets with 8%added fat:coconut oil(CO),fish oil(FO),sunflower oil(SO),or 4%octanoic acid plus 4%FO(OFO).Three approaches were taken to estimate de novo milk fat synthesis from glucose and body fat.Results Daily intake of FA was lowest in low-fat sows within fat levels(P<0.01)and in OFO and FO sows within highfat diets(P<0.01).Daily milk outputs of fat,FA,energy,and FA-derived carbon reflected to a large extent the intake of those.On average,estimates for de novo fat synthesis were 82 or 194 g/d from glucose according to method 1 or 2 and 255 g de novo+mobilized FA/d according to method 3.The low-fat diet increased mammary FAS expression(P<0.05)and de novo fat synthesis(method 1;P=0.13)within fat levels.The OFO diet increased de novo fat synthesis(method 1;P<0.05)and numerically upregulated mammary FAS expression compared to the other high-fat diets.Across diets,a daily intake of 440 g digestible FA minimized milk fat originating from glucose and mobilized body fat.Conclusions Sows fed diets with low-fat or octanoic acid,through upregulating FAS expression,increased mammary de novo fat synthesis whereas the milk FA output remained low in sows fed the low-fat diet or high-fat OFO or FO diets,indicating that dietary FA intake,dietary fat level,and body fat mobilization in concert determine de novo fat synthesis,amount and profiles of FA in milk.

Methodology and application of Escherichia coli F4 and F18 encoding infection models in post-weaning pigs

The enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) expressing F4 and F18 fimbriae are the two main pathogens associated with post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in piglets.The growing global concern regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has encouraged research into the development of nutritional and feeding strategies as well as vaccination protocols in order to counteract the PWD due to ETEC.A valid approach to researching effective strategies is to implement piglet in vivo challenge models with ETEC infection.Thus,the proper application and standardization of ETEC F4 and F18 challenge models represent an urgent priority.The current review provides an overview regarding the current piglet ETEC F4 and F18 challenge models;it highlights the key points for setting the challenge protocols and the most important indicators which should be included in research studies to verify the effectiveness of the ETEC challenge.Based on the current review,it is recommended that the setting of the model correctly assesses the choice and preconditioning of pigs,and the timing and dosage of the ETEC inoculation.Furthermore,the evaluation of the ETEC challenge response should include both clinical parameters (such as the occurrence of diarrhea,rectal temperature and bacterial fecal shedding) and biomarkers for the specific expression of ETEC F4/F18 (such as antibody production,specific F4/F18 immunoglobulins (lgs),ETEC F4/F18 fecal enumeration and analysis of the F4/F18 receptors expression in the intestinal brush borders).On the basis of the review,the piglets' response upon F4 or F18 inoculation differed in terms of the timing and intensity of the diarrhea development,on ETEC fecal shedding and in the piglets' immunological antibody response.This information was considered to be relevant to correctly define the experimental protocol,the data recording and the sample collections.Appropriate challenge settings and evaluation of the response parameters will allow future research studies to comply with the replacement,reduction and refinement (3R) approach,and to be able to evaluate the efficiency of a given feeding,nutritional or vaccination intervention in order to combat ETEC infection.

Plasma metabolomic profiles and immune responses of piglets after weaning and challenge with E.coli

Background： The processes of weaning and exposure to pathogenic bacteria induce stress responses, which may alter the metabolism. In this study, we investigated the changes in plasma metabolites and immune responses in piglets in response to the stress induced by weaning and Escherichia coli challenge. Results： Fecal dry matter decreased （P = 0.003） and nearly half （44.4%） the piglets developed diarrhea on day 2 and 3 postweaning. The concentration of plasma immunoglobulin A was higher （P 〈 0.001） on day 11 postweaning than on day 0 or 4 postweaning. The levels of white blood cells increased continuously （P〈 0.001） from day 0 to day 11 postweaning. Differences in the percentages of neutrophils （P = 0.029） and lymphocytes （P = 0.022） were seen, but the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio did not differ in the period after weaning. A clear separation of the metabolomic profile data for day 0 and day 4 postweaning was observed with a principal components analysis （PCA） scores plot, and the data for day 11 were located between those for day 0 and day 4 postweaning. The plasma levels of proline, taurine, and carnitine were higher, whereas those of betaine, creatine, L-arginine and acetylcarnitine were lower on day 4 postweaning than on day 0. Levels of lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine were either higher or lower after weaning, depending on the chain lengths or characters of these metabolites. Conclusions： Our results show a clear separation in the plasma metabolomic profiles of piglets that corresponded to the fecal responses to stress on the piglets induced by weaning or exposure to a pathogen （E. coli）. These plasma metabolite profiles suggest that the challenges induced proinflammatory responses in the piglets, resulting in postweaning diarrhea, which was associated with higher concentrations of IgA in the plasma.