Assessing the ability to immunomodulate the gastrointestinal immune system and oxidative status of weaned pigs through prenatal lipopolysaccharide stimulation

Authors: MITCHELL, TY - Michigan State University; Sanchez, Nicole; Carroll, Jeffery; Broadway, Paul; LEGAKO, JERRAD - Texas Tech University; BOWEN, BROOKE - Texas Tech University; PETRY, AMY - University Of Missouri

Submitted to: American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2025
Publication Date: 2/19/2025
Citation: Mitchell, T.M., Sanchez, N.C., Carroll, J.A., Broadway, P.R., Legako, J.F., Bowen, B.M., Petry, A.L. 2025. Assessing the ability to immunomodulate the gastrointestinal immune system and oxidative status of weaned pigs through prenatal lipopolysaccharide stimulation. American Journal of Physiology - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 101(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad341.293.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad341.293

Interpretive Summary: Weaning is one of the most stressful events in a pig’s life. Stress associated with weaning can affect immune responses and may affect health and performance alter in life. A large amount of the immune system is associated with the gut. Improving gut immune function could improve local and systemic immune responses. Scientists in Lubbock, TX along with university collaborators studied the effects of immune stimulation during gestation on gut immunity in piglets. Data from this study found that immune stimulation during gestation changed aspects of the gut immune system after exposure to the same immune stimulant in piglets. However, more research is needed to understand these effects on later piglet health and growth. These data will be of interest to scientists in the field of stress and immunology, and to swine producers.

Technical Abstract: Gastrointestinal immunity and antioxidant defenses may be bolstered in animals through prenatal immune system stimulation (PIS), but this is largely uninvestigated in swine. The experimental objective was to determine if lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administered to late-gestating sows would alter subsequent offspring' immune response. On day 78 +/-1.8 of gestation, 14 sows (parity = 2.6 +/-1.4) received either saline (CON) or LPS from E. coli O111:B4 (2.5 µg/kg of BW). A subset of 34 weaned barrows (n=17 CON, PIS), weaned at 21 +/- 1.3 days, were individually housed with ad libitum access to water and feed from day -7. On day -1, pigs were anesthetized for subcutaneous temperature logger and jugular catheter placement. On day 0, all pigs received an intravenous injection of LPS from E. Coli O111:B4 (10 µg/kg of BW). Blood samples were collected at specified time points relative to LPS administration. Necropsies were performed for collection of ileal and jejunal tissues. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED with treatment and time as fixed effects. Consistently across both regions of the gut, SCF was modulated with heightened expression in PIS than CON (P= 0.05). In the ileum, PIS exhibited heightened expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including TNFa, IL-6, IL-1s, and CCL3L1, compared to CON (P= 0.05). Exposure to PIS reduced systemic total antioxidant capacity (TAC) at hours 2-4 post-challenge (P= 0.004). Piglets exposed to PIS had decreased jejunal tissue malondialdehyde concentrations (P= 0.049). Prenatal Immune Stimulation appears to alter the gastrointestinal immune response and oxidative status in weaned pigs following LPS challenge.