Cromolyn-mediated improvement of intestinal barrier function is associated with enhanced piglet performance after weaning.
BACKGROUND
Previous work showed that weaning stress causes gut barrier dysfunction partly by triggering the release of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and thereby inducing the degranulation of intestinal mast cell (MC). This study investigated the hypothesis that attenuating the weaning-induced activation of the CRF-MC axis via administration of a MC stabilizing agent (cromolyn) may improve gut permeability and piglet performance after weaning.


RESULTS
To test the hypothesis twenty piglets were weaned (20 ± 1.0 d of age; 6.4 ± 0.4 kg of BW) and injected intraperitoneally with saline (control, n = 10) or 20 mg/kg BW of sodium cromolyn (cromolyn, n = 10) at - 0.5, 8 and 16 h relative to weaning. Piglets were housed individually and fed ad libitum a pre-starter diet from one to 15 d post-weaning followed by a starter diet until the end of the study on d 36. Cromolyn improved intestinal permeability as indicated by the reduced recovery of cobalt and mannitol in plasma samples. Cromolyn treated pigs consumed more feed (369 vs. 313 g/d; P < 0.009), gained more BW (283 vs. 238 g/d; P < 0.006), and grew more efficiently (0.60 vs. 0.40; P < 0.042) than their control counterparts. As a result, cromolyn treated pigs were 1.4 kg heavier than those in the control group by d 36 after weaning (16.5 vs. 17.9 kg; P < 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
In agreement with our hypothesis, present data indicate that the cromolyn-mediated improvement of intestinal permeability is associated with enhanced pig performance after weaning.
Lucta S.A., Can Parellada 28, 08170, Montornés del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain. alessandro.mereu@lucta.com.
Alessandro
A
Mereu
Lucta S.A., Can Parellada 28, 08170, Montornés del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain. gemma.tedo@lucta.com.
Gemma
G
Tedó
Gastrointestinal Stress Biology Laboratory, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA. ajmoeser@ncsu.edu.
Adam J
AJ
Moeser
Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 6-8, D-24118, Kiel, Germany. rimbach@foodsci.uni-kiel.de.
Gerald
G
Rimbach
Lucta S.A., Can Parellada 28, 08170, Montornés del Vallés, Barcelona, Spain. ignacio.ipharraguerre@lucta.com.|Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 6-8, D-24118, Kiel, Germany. ignacio.ipharraguerre@lucta.com.
Ignacio R
IR
Ipharraguerre
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
D004205:Cromolyn Sodium