Basic nutritional investigationEffects of maternal over- and undernutrition on intestinal morphology, enzyme activity, and gene expression of nutrient transporters in newborn and weaned pigs

ObjectivesIt has been suggested that maternal nutrition during gestation is involved in the offspring's intestinal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal nutrition on digestive and absorptive function of offspring at both birth and weaning with pig as model.MethodsEighteen primiparous Landrace × Yorkshire gilts (ages 253 ± 9 d; body weight 148.6 ± 6.9 kg) were allocated to a normal nutrition (control) group as recommended by the National Research Council (NRC; 1998), an undernutrition (UN) group (75% of NRC recommendations), and an overnutrition (ON) group (150% of NRC recommendations); the nutritional treatments were introduced from day 1 of gestation to farrowing.ResultsBy comparison, the small intestine weight (+33%; P < 0.01) and the ratio of small intestine weight to length (+25%; P < 0.05) for the ON group were higher than those for the control group. Meanwhile, the maternal ON treatment had significant effect on the activity of brush border lactase in the jejunum (+125%; P < 0.05) at birth. Expression of mRNA for SGLT1, GLUT2, PEPT1, and GLP2R were significantly increased (+1.7∼9.6-fold; P < 0.05) in jejunum of newborn or weaned piglets from the ON group; whereas maternal UN significantly affected small intestine weight (-28%; P < 0.01), length, and the ratio of weight to length (-11% and -19%; P < 0.05, respectively), and villus height (-29% and -22%; P < 0.05, respectively) in jejunum and ileum. Furthermore, maternal UN enhanced the activity of brush border lactase in the jejunum of newborn piglets (P < 0.05).ConclusionsMaternal ON enhanced intestinal function via up-regulating digestive enzyme activities and gene expression of transporters in both newborn and weaning piglets. Maternal UN impaired fetal intestinal development that could be partially compensated during the neonatal period.