Differential Effects of Early-Life and Postweaning Galacto-oligosaccharide Intervention on Colonic Bacterial Composition and Function in Weaning Piglets
Shiyi Tian, Jue Wang, Jue Wang, Jing Wang, Jing Wang, Weiyun Zhu
Abstract
Reducing the disorders of the gut ecosystem is an effective way to relieve weaning stresses of piglets and minimize economic losses in the modern swine industry. To this end, prebiotics have been often added to their diet during the weaning transition. In the present study, we demonstrated that the ELG and PWG interventions showed different effects on the bacterial composition of different colonic niches and on colonic function in the weaning piglets. Especially under the combined effect of ELG and PWG intervention, the expression levels of MyD88-NF-κB and the proinflammatory cytokines decreased with increasing concentrations of butyrate, which is an important microbial metabolite involved in the colon of weaning piglets. These findings further provided new insights into nutritional interventions that alleviate intestinal ecosystem dysbiosis and gut dysfunction in the piglets during the weaning transition.