ABSTRACT: Effects of scFOS supplementation in late gestation and lactation on performance, metabolic parameters and gut micribiota of sows and their offspring
Project description:This study examines whether maternal low ω6:ω3 ratio diet and offspring seaweed (SW) supplementation can improve offspring immunity and performance by elucidating the effects on piglet serum proteome. A total of 16 sows were given either a standard (CR, 13:1) or low ω6:ω3 ratio diet (LR, 4:1) during pregnancy and lactation and their male weaned piglets were supplemented with SW powder (4 g/kg, SW) or not (CT) in a 21-day post-weaning (PW) diet. Four PW piglet groups were then identified based on dam and piglet treatment, namely CRCT, CRSW, LRCT, and LRSW (n = 10 each). Piglet serum collected at weaning and d21 PW were analyzed (n = 5 each) using TMT-based quantitative proteomics and validated by appropriate assays.
Project description:Maternal stress occuring during gestation can influence the functioning of the stress and immune responses in offspring. Maternal supplementation with immunomodulatory compounds such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may reduce inflammation associated with maternal stress, promoting offspring health and growth Sows were fed diets supplemented with microalgae or fish oil from gestation day 75 and were challenged with LPS on gestation day 112. Previously, LPS challenge in the male piglets of these sows resulted in differences in fever and cortisol responses among piglets from different maternal treatments. Therefore, the adrenal gland was chosen for microarray analysis to assess the effects of the maternal treatment on the gene expression within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Project description:Exposure to intrauterine heat stress during late gestation affects offspring performance into adulthood. However, underlying mechanistic links between thermal insult in fetal life and postnatal outcomes are not completely understood. Utilizing RNA Sequencing, this study characterized the mammary gland transcriptome of heifers that were gestated under maternal conditions of heat stress or cooling, i.e., in utero heat stressed (HT) vs. in utero cooled (CL). Mammary tissues were collected from three HT and three CL heifers during their first lactation.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of Day 30 embryos (D30E) was performed. First parity sows were submitted to an ovulation-induction protocol, intermittent suckling (IS), during lactation. IS consisted of 8 h/d separation from their litters during the last 7d of a 28d lactation. During separation, sows received boar exposure. There were 3 treatments: control (C28, n=19), where piglets were weaned at D28 of lactation and were bred after weaning and two IS treatments: sows were either bred at their first induced estrus during lactation (IS21FE, n=18), or were “skipped” and bred at their second estrus (IS21SE, n= 17) which occurred after final weaning at D28. Sows were slaughtered and embryos were collected on D30 of gestation for DNA PCR sexing. Later, D30E from the same sex with similar weight were pooled for further microarray investigation.
Project description:Exposure to intrauterine heat stress during late gestation affects offspring performance into adulthood. However, underlying mechanistic links between thermal insult in fetal life and postnatal outcomes are not completely understood. Utilizing Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing, this study evaluated DNA methylation of liver and mammary gland of bull calves and heifers that were gestated under maternal conditions of heat stress or cooling, i.e., in utero heat stressed (HT) vs. in utero cooled (CL). Liver samples from bull calves (CT = 5 and HT = 4) were collected at birth while mammary gland samples from heifers (CT = 3 and HT = 3) were collected during their first lactation.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of Day 30 embryos (D30E) was performed. First parity sows were submitted to an ovulation-induction protocol, intermittent suckling (IS), during lactation. IS consisted of 8 h/d separation from their litters during the last 7d of a 28d lactation. During separation, sows received boar exposure. There were 3 treatments: control (C28, n=19), where piglets were weaned at D28 of lactation and were bred after weaning and two IS treatments: sows were either bred at their first induced estrus during lactation (IS21FE, n=18), or were “skipped” and bred at their second estrus (IS21SE, n= 17) which occurred after final weaning at D28. Sows were slaughtered and embryos were collected on D30 of gestation for DNA PCR sexing. Later, D30E from the same sex with similar weight were pooled for further microarray investigation. Stimulating lactational oestrus then two mating strategies were applied to primiparous sows. For the microarray experiment, three biological replicates (three sows) were chosen from each treatment group comparing control (C28) to either IS21FE or IS21SE. A pool of females and males D30E were chosen and pooled separately for each comparison.
Project description:16 rats were mated and the dams continued pregnancy (controls) or were subsequently caloric restricted (CR) for 20% during days 1-12. Control female/male offspring continued normal lactation, while offspring of CR-treated dams received either normal lactation (CR group) or received during lactation until PN21 leptin supplementation. Leptin treatment of offspring during lactation after caloric restriction of dams during pregnancy reverts CR-induced dysfunction.
Project description:probiotics and prebiotics to maternal diets is related to decreased incidence of diarrhea and greater weight gain during lactation. Our objective was to determine the impact of adding whole ground oat as a prebiotic alone or in combination with postbiotic yeast culture (YC) (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to sow gestation and lactation rations on milk composition, piglet growth, and incidence of post weaning diarrhea (PWD). Diets: control (CON), CON + yeast culture (YC) [5g/kg], CON + oat (15% inclusion rate) (Oat) or CON+ YC [5g/kg] + Oat (15%) were fed during the last 30 days of gestation and throughout lactation (18-21 days). Shotgun proteome analysis of day 4 and 7 postpartum milk samples found 36 differentially abundant proteins (P-adj <0.1) in both Oat and YC supplemented sows relative to CON. Notable was increased expression of antimicrobial proteins, lactoferrin and chitinase. IgG in milk of Oat supplemented sows was lower than YC supplemented sows (p<0.05) but had greater E. coli-antigen reactivity. Piglet weights at birth were similar. At weaning YC + Oat piglets weighed less and gained less weight (p<0.05) postweaning than CON. The incidence of PWD was lowest in the YC and Oat groups compared to CON and YC+ Oat groups. These data suggest that Oat or YC culture supplementation alters milk immune and antimicrobial associated proteins that can impact piglets but may have negative effects on piglet growth when given in combination.
Project description:Primiparous sows were randomly allocated to two treatments and were separated from piglets 8h daily from Day 21 of lactation companied with daily boar exposure for oestrus detection until weaning (Day 28). Gene expression of Day 9 embryos were compared between control sows (FE; sows artificially inseminated when in heat during lactation ) and Skip-a-Heat sows (SE; sows in heat during lactation and artificially inseminated on the following oestrus cycle).
Project description:Maternal diet is associated with the development of metabolism-related and other non-communicable diseases in offspring. Underlying mechanisms, functional profiles, and molecular markers are only starting to be revealed. Here, we explored the physiological and molecular impact of maternal Western-style diet on the liver of male and female offspring. C57BL/6 dams were exposed to either a low fat/low cholesterol diet (LFD) or a Western-style high fat/high cholesterol diet (WSD) for six weeks before mating, as well as during gestation and lactation. Dams and offspring were sacrificed at postnatal day 14, and body, liver, and blood parameters were assessed. The impact of maternal WSD on the pups' liver gene expression was characterised by whole-transcriptome microarray analysis. Exclusively male offspring had significantly higher body weight upon maternal WSD. In offspring of both sexes of WSD dams, liver and blood parameters, as well as hepatic gene expression profiles were changed. In total, 686 and 604 genes were differentially expressed in liver (pM-bM-^IM-$0.01) of males and females, respectively. Only 10% of these significantly changed genes overlapped in both sexes. In males, in particular alterations of gene expression with respect to developmental functions and processes were observed, such as Wnt/beta-catenin signalling. In females, mainly genes important for lipid metabolism, including cholesterol synthesis, were changed. We conclude that maternal WSD affects physiological parameters and induces substantial changes in the molecular profile of the liver in two-week-old pups. Remarkably, the observed biological responses of the offspring reveal pronounced sex-specificity. C57BL/6 dams were exposed to either a low fat/low cholesterol diet (LFD) or a Western-style high fat/high cholesterol diet (WSD) as six weeks pre-treatment before mating, as well as during gestation and lactation. Offspring were sacrificed at postnatal week two, livers were removed and RNA samples were subjected to gene expression profiling.