Maternal protein restriction before pregnancy reduces offspring early body mass and affects glucose metabolism in C57BL/6JBom mice.

Dietary protein restriction in pregnant females reduces offspring birth weight and increases the risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Despite these grave consequences, few studies have addressed the effects of preconceptional maternal malnutrition. Here we investigate how a preconceptional low-protein (LP) diet affects offspring body mass and insulin-regulated glucose metabolism.

Effect of silver nanoparticles on growth performance, metabolism and microbial profile of broiler chickens.

This study evaluated the potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNano) as an antimicrobial growth-promoting supplement for broiler chickens. One hundred forty-four seven-day-old broiler chicks were distributed randomly to AgNano treatments at 0, 10 and 20 mg/kg (Control, Group AgNano10, and Group AgNano20, respectively) provided via the drinking water from day 7 to 36 post-hatching. Body weight and feed consumption were measured weekly.

Effect of nanoparticles of silver and gold on metabolic rate and development of broiler and layer embryos.

This investigation evaluated the effects of nanoparticles of silver (AgNano) and gold (AuNano) on metabolic rate (O(2) consumption, CO(2) production and heat production-HP) and the development of embryos from different breeds of broiler and layer chicken. Gaseous exchange was measured in an open-air-circuit respiration unit, and HP was calculated for 10, 13, 16 and 19-day-old embryos. Relative chick and muscle weights were used as a measure of growth rate and development.

Glucagon-like peptide 2 has limited efficacy to increase nutrient absorption in fetal and preterm pigs.

Exogenous glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) prevents intestinal atrophy and increases nutrient absorption in term newborn pigs receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN). We tested the hypothesis that the immature intestine of fetuses and preterm neonates has a diminished nutrient absorption response to exogenous GLP-2. This was accomplished using catheterized fetal pigs infused for 6 days (87-91% of gestation) with GLP-2 (25 nmol.

Antimicrobial treatment reduces intestinal microflora and improves protein digestive capacity without changes in villous structure in weanling pigs.

The immediate post-weaning period is often associated with gut malfunction and diarrhoea for young pigs. Administration of antimicrobials remains an effective way to control weaning diarrhoea but it remains unclear how they affect gut physiology and microbiology although this is a prerequisite for being able to devise better alternatives. Hence, for 7 d we treated pigs, weaned at 24 d of age, with a combination of amoxicillin (25 mg/kg feed and injection of 8.

Glucagon-like peptide 2 stimulates intestinal nutrient absorption in parenterally fed newborn pigs.

Objectives: Parenteral nutrition is a critically important intervention for children with intestinal dysfunctions. However, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with no enteral feeding is associated with small intestine atrophy and malabsorption, which complicate the transition to enteral nutrition. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of the intestinotrophic peptide glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2), which reduces TPN-associated atrophy and maintains nutrient absorption in adult rats, for preventing nutrient malabsorption in neonates receiving TPN.

Diet- and colonization-dependent intestinal dysfunction predisposes to necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm pigs.

Background & Aims: Preterm birth and formula feeding are key risk factors associated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in infants, but little is known about intestinal conditions that predispose to disease. Thus, structural, functional, and microbiologic indices were used to investigate the etiology of spontaneous NEC development in preterm pigs.

Methods: Piglets were delivered by cesarean section at 92% gestation, reared in infant incubators, and fed infant formula or colostrum every 3 hours (n = 120) until tissue collection at 1-2 days of age.

Cortisol increases the activities of intestinal apical membrane hydrolases and nutrient transporters before weaning in mink (Mustela vison).

Glucocorticoids from endogenous and exogenous sources accelerate maturation of brush-border membrane (BBM) hydrolases in omnivorous laboratory rodents and pigs. Less is known for carnivores, and whether the route of administration (oral or systemic) has an influence. The present study examined the influence of administering cortisol (hydrocortisone succinate, 5 mg/kg-day) to mink during postnatal week 4, just prior to weaning, on small intestine glucose and amino acid (aspartate, leucine, lysine, methionine, proline) absorption and on the activities of BBM disaccharidases and peptidases.

Preterm birth makes the immature intestine sensitive to feeding-induced intestinal atrophy.

Preterm birth and formula feeding predispose to small intestinal dysfunction, which may lead to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). In piglets, we tested whether the physiological and environmental transitions occurring at birth affect the response of the immature intestine to enteral feeding. Pig fetuses (106 days gestation, term = 115 days) were prepared with esophageal feeding tubes and fed either sow's colostrum (n = 8) or infant formula (n = 7) in utero.

Short-term fasting induces intra-hepatic lipid accumulation and decreases intestinal mass without reduced brush-border enzyme activity in mink (Mustela vison) small intestine.

For many mammalian species short-term fasting is associated with intestinal atrophy and decreased digestive capacity. Under natural conditions, strictly carnivorous animals often experience prey scarcity during winter, and they may therefore be particularly well adapted to short-term food deprivation. To examine how the carnivorous gastrointestinal tract is affected by fasting, small-intestinal structure, brush-border enzyme activities and hepatic structure and function were examined in fed mink (controls) and mink that had been fasted for 1-10 days.

Activities of gastric, pancreatic, and intestinal brush-border membrane enzymes during postnatal development of dogs.

Objective: To measure activities of digestive enzymes during postnatal development in dogs.

Sample Population: Gastrointestinal tract tissues obtained from 110 Beagles ranging from neonatal to adult dogs.

Procedure: Pepsin and lipase activities were measured in gastric contents, and amylase, lipase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin activities were measured in small intestinal contents and pancreatic tissue.

Preterm birth affects the intestinal response to parenteral and enteral nutrition in newborn pigs.

Maturation of gastrointestinal (GI) function in neonates is stimulated by enteral nutrition, whereas parenteral nutrition induces GI atrophy and malfunction. We investigated whether preterm birth alters the GI responses to parenteral and enteral nutrition. Pigs were delivered either preterm (107 d gestation) or at term (115 d gestation) and fed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or enteral sow's milk (ENT) for 6 d after birth.

Glucagon-like peptide 2 enhances maltase-glucoamylase and sucrase-isomaltase gene expression and activity in parenterally fed premature neonatal piglets.

Exogenous glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) mimics the stimulatory effect of enteral nutrition on intestinal mucosal growth in preterm neonatal pigs. Little is known about its effects on small intestinal function. In this study, we investigated whether the trophic actions of GLP-2 and enteral nutrition are paralleled by effects on small intestinal function.

Preterm birth affects the intestinal response to parenteral and enteral nutrition in newborn pigs.

Maturation of gastrointestinal (GI) function in neonates is stimulated by enteral nutrition, whereas parenteral nutrition induces GI atrophy and malfunction. We investigated whether preterm birth alters the GI responses to parenteral and enteral nutrition. Pigs were delivered either preterm (107 d gestation) or at term (115 d gestation) and fed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or enteral sow's milk (ENT) for 6 d after birth.

Prenatal development of gastrointestinal function in the pig and the effects of fetal esophageal obstruction.

Maturation of the fetal gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is influenced by both luminal stimuli (e.g. swallowed fluid) and hormonal factors (e.

Development of intestinal immunoglobulin absorption and enzyme activities in neonatal pigs is diet dependent.

Uptake of colostrum just after birth is essential to stimulate intestinal growth and function, and in many species, including pigs, colostrum also provides immunological protection via the absorption of immunoglobulin G (IgG). In this study, intestinal growth, IgG absorptive capacity and enzyme activities were investigated in newborn pigs in response to different diets. Newborn piglets were bottle-fed porcine colostrum (PC), bovine colostrum (BC), porcine plasma (PP), porcine milk (PM), bovine colostrum containing porcine plasma (BCP) or a milk replacer (MR) every 3 h (15 mL/kg) for up to 2 d.

Intestinal apical amino acid absorption during development of the pig.

Amino acids originating from the diet are the principal metabolic fuels for the small intestine, and although the developing intestine is exposed to dramatic changes in the types and amounts of protein, there is little known about rates of amino acid absorption across the apical membrane during development. Therefore, rates of absorption were measured for five amino acids that are substrates for the acidic (aspartate), basic (lysine), neutral (leucine and methionine), and imino (proline) amino acid carriers using intact tissues from the proximal, mid-, and distal small intestines of pigs ranging in age from 90% of gestation to 42 days after birth (12 days after weaning). Rates of absorption (sum of carrier-mediated and apparent diffusion) were highest at birth (except for proline) and declined by an average of 30% during the first 24 h of suckling.

GLP-2 stimulates intestinal growth in premature TPN-fed pigs by suppressing proteolysis and apoptosis.

We wished to determine whether exogenous glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-2 infusion stimulates intestinal growth in parenterally fed immature pigs. Piglets (106-108 days gestation) were given parenteral nutrient infusion (TPN), TPN + human GLP-2 (25 nmol. kg(-1).

Intestinal transport of monosaccharides and amino acids during postnatal development of mink.

Intestinal development is typically studied using omnivores. For comparative purposes, we examined an altricial carnivore, the mink (Mustela vison). In mink, intestinal dimensions increase up to 8 wk after birth and then remain constant (length) or decrease (mass) into maturity despite continuing gains in body mass.

The gastrointestinal bacteria of mink (Mustela vison L): influence of age and diet.

Total numbers of aerotolerant and anaerobic bacteria, and densities of Enterobacteriaceae, lactobacilli, staphylococci, salmonella and shigella, and campylobacteria were enumerated in the contents of the stomach, small intestine (and the associated mucosa), and colon of mink beginning at 2 weeks of age to adulthood, and in adults that were fed diets with different levels and types of fiber or food deprived. Highest densities of all bacterial groups were found in the colon at all ages (up to 10(8) cfu per g for total anaerobes), but were 2-4 orders of magnitude lower than those of other mammals. When all regions were pooled, significant age-related increases (p < 0.

Nitrogen balance in adult female mink (Mustela vision) in response to normal feeding and short-term fasting.

Ten adult female mink (Mustela vison) were studied in a 7 d balance experiment consisting of a 2 d pre-surgery feeding period, followed by surgery, 1 d of recovery 4 d of ad libitum feeding, and a 2 d fasting period. In this experiment (Expt A) the animals had osmotic pumps implanted for continuous release of radioactively-labelled p-aminohippuric acid (p-aminobenzoyl-2-[3H]glycine; [3H]PAH; n 10) and 14C-labelled inulin ([14C]IN; n 5). Repeated 24 h collections of urine, corrected to 100% [3H]PAH or [14C]IN recovery, were used for accurate determination of N balances, 24 h urinary excretion of urea, creatinine, and total N, and calculation of mean 24 h renal clearance rates for endogenous creatinine and inulin.

Effects of feeding and short-term fasting on water and electrolyte turnover in female mink (Mustela vison).

Daily (24 h) rates of water and electrolyte turnover were measured in a conventional balance study in ten adult female pastel mink (Mustela vison) given free access to a standard mink feed for a 1-week conditioning period, followed by a 4 d experimental period and a 2 d fasting period. Drinking water was available throughout. In addition, the completeness of urine collection and the fraction of urine collected with the faeces were determined using a new experimental technique based on 24 h recoveries of specific urinary markers such as tritiated p-aminohippuric acid ([3H]PAH) or 14C-labelled inulin ([14C]IN) continuously delivered by small Alzet osmotic pumps implanted intraperitoneally.

The role of glucocorticoids in the growth of the digestive tract in mink (Mustela vison).

The effect of glucocorticoids on the growth of digestive organs was investigated in the postnatal period of mink. A total of 110 mink kits from 20 litters were either not injected or injected intramuscularly for seven days with saline, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, 50 micrograms/kg/day) or hydrocortisone-acetate (synthetic glucocorticoid, 50 mg/kg/day). The kits were killed at 2-10 weeks of age.

Intestinal hydrolytic activity in young mink (Mustela vison) develops slowly postnatally and exhibits late sensitivity to glucocorticoids.

The development of hydrolase activity in the intestinal brush border membrane is important for the maturation of digestive function in early life. The development and glucocorticoid control of intestinal enzymes were investigated in the mink (Mustela vison), a carnivorous species, in which the intestine matures relatively late in postnatal life. Mink kits (n = 110 from 20 litters) were either not treated or injected intramuscularly for 7 d with saline, adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH, 50 micrograms/(kg.