title: Effects on gut properties in exocrine pancreatic insufficient (EPI) pigs, being growth retarded due to pancreatic duct ligation at 7 weeks but not at 16 weeks of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) induced in young pigs by pancreatic duct ligation (PDL) early after weaning result in total growth deprivation while it has little effect in somewhat older pigs. The main objective was to study effects of EPI on gut structure and function in littermate pigs underwent to PDL at different age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pigs, duct-ligated at either 7 (2 weeks post-weaning, PDL-7) or 16 weeks of age (PDL-16), and euthanized at an age of 21-23 weeks together with un-operated littermates were studied. The intestinal in vitro permeability was studied in separate PDL-pigs and compared to un-operated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Morphometric analysis showed gut mucosal atrophy in the PDL-7 as compared to PDL-16 pigs, while no differences in mucosal disaccharidase activities. The intestinal permeability for different-sized markers was significantly increased in the PDL-pigs compared to the un-operated controls. Analyses of the intestinal digesta showed a total lack of pancreatic enzymes in all PDL-pigs, while instead new, as yet unidentified, enzyme-activities appeared.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All EPI-pigs, independent of age at PDL-operation, displayed adaptive gut changes, however the EPI-pigs operated early after weaning appeared more sensitive, probably related to their gut maturity and possibly explaining the growth arrest seen in these pigs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: Olena.Prykhodko@biol.lu.se.
authors.forename: Olena
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Prykhodko
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olexandr
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fedkiv
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Weström
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Medical Biology, Institute of Rural Health, Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Stefan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Pierzynowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology*; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008026:Ligation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000601:surgery*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014886:Weaning
keywords: Gut; Mucosa; Pancreatic insufficiency; Pig