Comparative effect of orally administered sodium butyrate before or after weaning on growth and several indices of gastrointestinal biology of piglets

• Published in: British journal of nutrition 2009-11, Vol.102 (9), p.1285-1296
• Main Authors: Le Gall, Maud, Gallois, Mélanie, Sève, Bernard, Louveau, Isabelle, Holst, Jens J., Oswald, Isabelle P., Lallès, Jean-Paul, Guilloteau, Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; animal development; animal growth; animal nutrition; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - drug effects; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; animal performance; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; butyrates; Butyrates - administration & dosage; Butyrates - pharmacology; Comparative studies; Cytokines - biosynthesis; Cytokines - genetics; Diet; Dietary Supplements; digesta retention; digestibility; digestion; Digestion - drug effects; digestive enzymes; digestive physiology; Digestive system; Drug Administration Schedule; excretory system physiology; fecal digestibility; feed intake; Feed science; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Food and Nutrition; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gastric emptying; gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Gastrointestinal Tract - drug effects; Gastrointestinal Transit - drug effects; gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Growth - drug effects; Hogs; ileal digestibility; ileum; interleukins; intestinal enzymes; intestinal mucosa; Intestine, Small - anatomy & histology; Intestine, Small - drug effects; jejunum; Life Sciences; Metabolism and Metabolic Studies; oral administration; Organ Size - drug effects; Pancreas - anatomy & histology; Pancreas - drug effects; Pancreas - enzymology; pancreatic enzymes; Physical growth; piglet feeding; piglets; Pigs; Sodium; Sodium butyrate; Stomach - anatomy & histology; Stomach - drug effects; Sus scrofa - anatomy & histology; Sus scrofa - growth & development; Swine; tissue weight; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weaning
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114509990213

Sodium butyrate (SB) provided orally favours body growth and maturation of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in milk-fed pigs. In weaned pigs, conflicting results have been obtained. Therefore, we hypothesised that the effects of SB (3 g/kg DM intake) depend on the period (before v. after weaning) of its oral administration. From the age of 5 d, thirty-two pigs, blocked in quadruplicates within litters, were assigned to one of four treatments: no SB (control), SB before (for 24 d), or after (for 11–12 d) weaning and SB before and after weaning (for 35–36 d). Growth performance, feed intake and various end-point indices of GIT anatomy and physiology were investigated at slaughter. The pigs supplemented with SB before weaning grew faster after weaning than the controls (P