Yu Lihuai, Li Hongmin, Peng Zhong, Ge Yuzhu, Liu Jun, Wang Tianlong, Wang Hongrong, Dong Li
School of Animal and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Sep 13;11(9):2679. doi: 10.3390/ani11092679.
This study examined the impact of early weaning on antioxidant function in piglets. A total of 40 Duroc × Landrace × Large White, 21-day-old piglets (half male and half female) were divided into suckling groups (SG) and weaning groups (WG). Piglets in WG were weaned at the 21st day, while the piglets in SG continued to get breastfed. Eight piglets from each group were randomly selected and slaughtered at 24th-day (SG3, WG3) and 28th-day old (SG7, WG7). The body weight, liver index, hepatocyte morphology, antioxidant enzymes activity, gene expression of antioxidant enzymes, and Nrf2 signaling in the liver of piglets were measured. The results showed that weaning caused decreased body weight ( < 0.01), lower liver weight ( < 0.01), and decreased the liver organ index ( < 0.05) of piglets. The area and size of hepatocytes in the WG group was smaller than that in the SG group ( < 0.05). We also observed that weaning reduced the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) ( < 0.05) in the liver of piglets. Relative to the SG3 group, the gene expression of GSH-Px in liver of WG3 was significantly reduced ( < 0.05). The gene expression of Nrf2 in the SG3 group was higher than that in the WG3 group ( < 0.01). The gene expression of NQO1 in the SG7 group was higher than that in the WG7 group ( < 0.05). In conclusion, weaning resulted in lower weight, slowed liver development, and reduced antioxidant enzymes activity, thereby impairing liver antioxidant function and suppressing piglet growth.
本研究考察了早期断奶对仔猪抗氧化功能的影响。选取40头21日龄的杜洛克×长白×大白仔猪（公母各半），分为哺乳组（SG）和断奶组（WG）。WG组仔猪于第21天断奶，而SG组仔猪继续哺乳。每组随机选取8头仔猪，分别在第24天（SG3、WG3）和第28天（SG7、WG7）屠宰。测定仔猪体重、肝脏指数、肝细胞形态、抗氧化酶活性、抗氧化酶基因表达以及肝脏中的Nrf2信号通路。结果表明，断奶导致仔猪体重下降（<0.01）、肝脏重量降低（<0.01）以及肝脏器官指数下降（<0.05）。WG组肝细胞的面积和大小小于SG组（<0.05）。我们还观察到，断奶降低了仔猪肝脏中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）的活性（<0.05）。相对于SG3组，WG3组肝脏中谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）的基因表达显著降低（<0.05）。SG3组中Nrf2的基因表达高于WG3组（<0.01）。SG7组中醌氧化还原酶1（NQO1）的基因表达高于WG7组（<0.05）。总之，断奶导致体重降低、肝脏发育减缓以及抗氧化酶活性降低，从而损害肝脏抗氧化功能并抑制仔猪生长。
