Consumption of Dietary Fiber from Different Sources during Pregnancy Alters Sow Gut Microbiota and Improves Performance and Reduces Inflammation in Sows and Piglets
Boshuai Liu, Xiaoyan Zhu, Yalei Cui, Wenjing Wang, Hua Liu, Zidan Li, Zhiguo Guo, Sen Ma, Defeng Li, Chengzhang Wang, Yinghua Shi
Abstract
Although the direct effects of dietary fiber on gut microbiota composition have been studied extensively, systematic evaluation of different fiber sources on gut health and inflammatory responses of sows and their offspring has rarely been conducted. Excessive reactive oxygen species produced by overactive metabolic processes during late pregnancy and lactation of sows leads to increased endotoxin levels, disordered gut microbiota, decreased SCFA production, and secretion of proinflammatory factors, which in turn causes local inflammation of the gut, potential damage of the gut microbial barrier, increased gut permeability, increased blood endotoxin levels (resulting in systemic inflammation), and ultimately decreased sow and piglet performance. Our results showed that supplementation of the diet with alfalfa meal in mid and late pregnancy can reverse this process. Our findings lay a foundation for improving the gut health of sows and piglets and provide insights into the study of the gastrointestinal tract function in human mothers and infants.