title: Effects of prefeeding a prebiotic on diarrhea and colonic cell proliferation in piglets fed lactulose.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Severe lactulose malabsorption causes osmotic diarrhea and decreased cecal cell proliferation. We tested the hypothesis that prefeeding with inulin, a prebiotic, would attenuate these effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Piglets aged 10 days were randomized to 3 feeding groups (n = 6 each group): Control (CON), fed sow-milk replacement formula (SMR; lactose, 60 g/L) for 14 days; a lactulose-challenged group (LAC) that was fed SMR for 7 days and then a formula containing lactose (30 g/L) and lactulose (60 g/L) for 7 days; and a group prefed SMR containing inulin (3 g/L) for 7 days and then fed the lactulose-supplemented formula (INULIN). Groups CON and INULIN were pair-fed to LAC. Then, cecal tissue was collected for histology, determination of crypt cell proliferation index, apoptosis, and Western blot determination of expression of Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fraction of days when diarrhea was present (mean +/- SD) was greater for LAC (0.87 +/- 0.14; p = .004) than CON (0.28 +/- 0.22; INULIN: 0.52 +/- 0.44; p = .058 vs LAC). Cell proliferation index for the total crypt was less for LAC (0.12 +/- 0.04; p = .016) compared with CON (0.20 +/- 0.04; INULIN: 0.15 +/- 0.04; p = .06 vs LAC). BAX protein expression and apoptosis were similar in the 3 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed trends consistent with the hypothesis that prefeeding inulin attenuates diarrhea and the reduction in cell proliferation caused by lactulose.
authors.affiliation: Children's Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. clkien@utmb.edu
authors.forename: C Lawrence
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Kien
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Wendy L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Frankel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002432:Cecum / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D005526:Food, Formulated; D007444:Inulin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007785:Lactose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007792:Lactulose / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D013552:Swine; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D007792:Lactulose; D007444:Inulin; D007785:Lactose