Chitosan oligosaccharide affects antioxidant defense capacity and placental amino acids transport of sows.
BACKGROUND
Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) is widely consumed as a functional food due to its multiple health effects, but few studies about COS supplement on placental antioxidant and nutrition transport capacity were reported. Taken pregnant sow as a model, we aimed to investigate the effects of dietary COS supplementation during late gestation on placental amino acids transport and antioxidant defense capacity of sows. From day (d) 85 of gestation to parturition, sixteen pregnant sows were divided into a control group (basal diet without COS supplementation) and a COS group (30 mg COS/kg basal diet). Plasma sample of sow was collected on d 110 of gestation, and placenta tissue was obtained during parturition. Then plasma antioxidant enzyme's activities, the relative level of oxidant stress related genes, amino acids transport related genes and mTOR pathway molecules in placenta were determined.


RESULTS
Results showed that maternal dietary supplementation with COS increased (P < 0.05) plasma total SOD, caused a downtrend in plasma MDA (0.05 < P < 0.10) on d 110 of gestation. Interestingly, the mRNA expression of some antioxidant genes in the placenta were increased (P < 0.05) and pro-inflammatory cytokines were reduced (P < 0.05) by COS supplement, whereas no significant difference was observed in the activities of placental total SOD and CAT between two groups. Additionally, further study demonstrated that COS feeding stimulated mTOR signaling pathway, increased amino acids transporters expression in placenta.


CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggested that COS supplement in sow's diet during late gestation enhanced antioxidant defense capacity of sows, promoted placental amino acids transport, which may contribute to the health of sows and development of fetus during gestation.
Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China.|Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China.
Chunyan
C
Xie
Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China. wuxin@isa.ac.cn.|Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China. wuxin@isa.ac.cn.|Hunan Co-Innovation Center of Animal Production Safety, CICAPS, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China. wuxin@isa.ac.cn.
Xin
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9225-5574
X
Wu
Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China.|Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China.
Cimin
C
Long
Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China.|Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China.|Hunan Co-Innovation Center of Animal Production Safety, CICAPS, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China.
Qinhua
Q
Wang
Hunan Co-Innovation Center of Animal Production Safety, CICAPS, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China.
Zhiyong
Z
Fan
Institute of Animal Science, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang, 330200, China.
Siming
S
Li
Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China. yinyulong@isa.ac.cn.|Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China. yinyulong@isa.ac.cn.
Yulong
Y
Yin
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001693:Biological Transport, Active / Q000187:drug effects; D048271:Chitosan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013552:Swine
D000596:Amino Acids; D000975:Antioxidants; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D048271:Chitosan
Amino acids transport; Antioxidant defense; Chitosan oligosaccharides; Sow