title: Prebiotics and Bioactive Milk Fractions Affect Gut Development, Microbiota, and Neurotransmitter Expression in Piglets.
abstract: This study tested the hypothesis that the addition of prebiotics and 2 functional milk ingredients to infant formula would maintain normal growth and gut development, and modify microbiota composition and neurotransmitter gene expression in neonatal piglets.
  
  
  
  Two-day-old male piglets (n = 24) were fed formula (CONT) or formula with polydextrose (1.2 g/100 g diet), galactooligosaccharides (3.5 g/100 g diet), bovine lactoferrin (0.3 g/100 g diet), and milk fat globule membrane-10 (2.5 g/100 g diet) (TEST) for 30 days. On study day 31, intestinal samples, ileal and colonic contents, and feces were collected. Intestinal histomorphology, disaccharidase activity, serotonin (5'HT), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were measured. Gut microbiota composition was assessed by pyrosequencing of the V3-V5 regions of 16S rRNA and quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  
  Body weight of piglets on TEST was greater (P ≤ 0.05) than CONT on days 17 to 30. Both groups displayed growth patterns within the range observed for sow-reared pigs. TEST piglets had greater jejunal lactase (P = 0.03) and higher (P = 0.003) ileal VIP expression. TEST piglets tended to have greater (P = 0.09) sucrase activity, longer (P = 0.08) ileal villi, and greater (P = 0.06) duodenal TH expression. Microbial communities of TEST piglets differed from CONT in ascending colon (AC, P = 0.001) and feces (P ≤ 0.05). CONT piglets had greater relative abundances of Mogibacterium, Collinsella, Klebsiella, Escherichia/Shigella, Eubacterium, and Roseburia compared with TEST piglets in AC. In feces, CONT piglets harbored lower (P ≤ 0.05) proportions of Parabacteroides, Clostridium IV, Lutispora, and Sutterella than TEST piglets.
  
  
  
  A mixture of bioactive ingredients improved weight gain and gut maturation, modulated colonic and fecal microbial composition, and reduced the proportions of opportunistic pathogens.
authors.affiliation: *Division of Nutritional Sciences †Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition ‡Piglet Nutrition and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences §Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign ||Mead Johnson Pediatric Nutrition Institute, Evansville, IN.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Berding
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Marcia H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.forename: Lindsey S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Austin T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Mudd
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chichlowski
authors.forename: Rosaline V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Waworuntu
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Ryan N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Dilger
authors.forename: Sharon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Donovan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000502:physiology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk / Q000378:metabolism; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D056692:Prebiotics / Q000382:microbiology*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D056692:Prebiotics