Dietary sodium butyrate supplementation increases digestibility and pancreatic secretion in young milk-fed calves

• Published in: Journal of dairy science 2010-12, Vol.93 (12), p.5842-5850
• Main Authors: Guilloteau, P., Savary, G., Jaguelin-Peyrault, Y., Romé, V., Le Normand, L., Zabielski, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Animal Feed; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animal productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; butyrate supplementation; butyrates; Butyrates - administration & dosage; calf; calf feeding; calves; Cattle - physiology; cholecystokinin; Cholecystokinin - blood; diet; Dietary Supplements; digestibility; Digestion - physiology; Duodenum - metabolism; feed additives; feed supplements; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gastrins; Gastrins - blood; gastrointestinal hormones; Kinetics; Life Sciences; Milk; Pancreas - secretion; Pancreatic Juice; pancreatic secretion; postprandial state; secretin; Secretin - blood; secretion; Sodium, Dietary - administration & dosage; soy protein; Soybean Proteins; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2009-2751

The aim of this study was to test, in 8 calves fed milk formula based on soybean protein, the ability of sodium butyrate (SB) supplementation to improve nutrient digestibility and daily pancreatic secretions and to modify the kinetics of these secretions. Additionally, effects of duodenal SB infusion were evaluated. Plasma levels of gastrin, secretin, and cholecystokinin were measured. Butyrate supplementation in milk formula increased nutrient digestibility and total daily pancreatic secretions. For juice volume, this increase was most important from 12 to 17h after the morning meal. During the 3-h postprandial period, oral SB supplementation reduced the physiological decrease of postprandial pancreatic secretion (while duodenal digesta flow rate was maximal) and had a minor effect on plasma gut regulatory peptide concentrations. Compared with the diet without SB, ingestion of SB stimulated pancreatic secretion. Taken together, these results could explain the measured increase in nutrient digestibility. The data obtained after duodenal SB infusion did not indicate an effect on pancreatic secretion, apart from elevated lipase output compared with control. The mechanisms responsible for these events are not known and circulating gut regulatory peptides do not seem to be implicated. Our work brings new results regarding SB as a feed additive in young calf nutrition.