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Simple Summary: Fish digestive tracts always show remarkable morphological differences depending on their functions. The weatherloach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, is a facultative air-breathing teleost fish, which employs its partial digestive tract as an accessory respiratory organ. The specificity of its digestive tract structure and function is unclear. To clarify how the digestive tract of the weatherloach serves a dual function of digestion and respiration simultaneously, the histological structures of its digestive tract, the passage of digesta and air passing through its intestine and the rate of intestinal evacuation have been studied. The study also explored the structural features of the different regions of the weatherloach intestine and how these structures coordinate digestion and respiration. This provides basic data for the coordination between digestion and respiration in the weatherloach. The results showed that the weatherloach intestine is mainly divided into five functional regions with specific structures. The process of gastrointestinal air breathing can not only aid respiration, but also promotes the excretion of the contents of the intestine. This study can support further exploration of the physiological mechanisms of gastrointestinal air breathing in fish. To clarify how the digestive tract of the weatherloach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, serves a dual function of digestion and respiration simultaneously, the histological structures of its digestive tract, the passage of digesta and air passing through its intestine and the rate of intestinal evacuation have been studied. The results indicate that the digestive tract is divided into five functional regions, i.e., esophagus, anterior intestine, middle intestine, posterior intestine and rectum. The diverse intestinal structures have the specialized function of coordinating digestion and respiration. An X-ray barium meal examination showed in the normal breathing state, the contents of the intestine are diffusely semifluid, and air is distributed as bubbles in the dorsal intestine 2 h after feeding. After 5 h, the contents accumulated in the mid and posterior intestine, and gas flowed above the contents as bundles. After 8 h, the intestinal food was basically evacuated. In the intestinal air-breathing restricted group, the contents of the intestine remained diffuse, and a large number of digesta entered and remained in the rectum after 5 h. After the inhibition was relieved, the contents of the rectum were rapidly discharged. Measurement of the intestinal evacuation rate in the intestine showed that the evacuation of the intestinal contents lagged behind that of the normal group in the air-breathing restricted group. Compared to the normal state and inhibited GAB (gastrointestinal air breathing), we could deduce that GAB could promote the movement of the intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Given the escalating production of livestock and poultry, coupled with the surging cost of soybean meal, the search for alternative raw materials that can replace soybean meal is becoming more important. Agricultural by-products like rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal present a promising plant-based protein alternative to soybean meal in pig production. This study revealed that corn–soybean–miscellaneous meals and corn–miscellaneous meals significantly enhanced the average daily growth of pigs weighing 25–50 kg compared to a corn–soybean meal diet. These findings suggest that miscellaneous meals can effectively serve as an alternative feed ingredient to soybean meal in pig diets. This research can be helpful to further develop miscellaneous meals (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower meal) as a functional alternative feed ingredient to soybean meal. The present study aims to determine the effect of miscellaneous meals (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower meal) replacing soybean meal in feed on growth performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, serum biochemical parameters, serum free amino acid content, microbiota composition and SCFAs content in growing pigs (25–50 kg). A total of 72 (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) growing pigs with initial weights of 25.79 ± 0.23 kg were randomly divided into three treatments. The pigs were fed corn–soybean meal (CON), corn–soybean–miscellaneous meals (CSM), and corn–miscellaneous meals (CMM). Each treatment included six replicates with four pigs per pen (n = 24, 12 barrows and 12 gilts). Soybean meal accounted for 22.10% of the basal diet in the CON group. In the CSM group, miscellaneous meals partially replaced soybean meal with a mixture of 4.50% rapeseed meal, 3.98% cottonseed meal, and 4.50% sunflower meal. In the CMM group, miscellaneous meals entirely replaced soybean meal with a mixture of 8.50% rapeseed meal, 8.62% cottonseed meal, and 8.5% sunflower. The results showed that compared with the CON, the CSM and CMM groups significantly improved the average daily gain (ADG) of growing pigs during the 25–50 kg stage (p < 0.05) but had no effects on average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily feed intake/average daily gain (F/G) (p > 0.05). Moreover, the CMM group significantly reduced nutrient apparent digestibility of gross energy compared with the CON group. The serum biochemical parameters results showed that the CSM group significantly improved the contents of total protein (TP) compared with the CON group (p < 0.05). The CMM group significantly improved the contents of total protein (TP), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared with the CON group in serum (p < 0.05). In comparison with the CON group, the CMM group also significantly improved lysine (Lys), threonine (Thr), valine (Val), isoleucine (Ile), leucine (Leu), phenylalanine (Phe), arginine (Arg), and citrulline (Cit) levels in serum (p < 0.05). However, the CMM group significantly decreased non-essential amino acid content glycine (Gly) in serum compared with CON (p < 0.05), while compared with the CON group, the CSM and CMM groups had no significant effects on the relative abundance, the alpha-diversity, or the beta-diversity of fecal microbiota. Moreover, compared with the CON group, the CSM group significantly increased butyric acid and valeric acid contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces (p < 0.05). In contrast to the CON group, the CMM group significantly reduced the contents of SCFAs in feces, including acetic acid, propionic acid, and isobutyric acid (p < 0.05). Collectively, the results of the present study indicate that miscellaneous meals (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower meal) can partially replace the soybean meal and significantly improve the growth performance of growing pigs during the 25–50 kg stage. Thus, miscellaneous meals are a suitable protein source as basal diets to replace soybean meals for 25–50 kg growing pigs. These results can be helpful to further develop miscellaneous meals as a functional alternative feed ingredient to soybean meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arginine, which is metabolized into ornithine, proline, and nitric oxide, plays an important role in embryonic development. The present study was conducted to investigate the molecular mechanism of arginine in proliferation, differentiation, and physiological function of porcine trophoblast cells (pTr2) through metabolic pathways. The results showed that arginine significantly increased cell viability (P < 0.05). The addition of arginine had a quadratic tendency to increase the content of progesterone (P = 0.06) and protein synthesis rate (P = 0.03), in which the maximum protein synthesis rate was observed at 0.4 mM arginine. Arginine quadratically increased (P < 0.05) the intracellular contents of spermine, spermidine and putrescine, as well as linearly increased (P < 0.05) the intracellular content of NO in a dose-dependent manner. Arginine showed a quadratic tendency to increase the content of putrescine (P = 0.07) and a linear tendency to increase NO content (P = 0.09) in cell supernatant. Moreover, increasing arginine activated (P < 0.05) the mRNA expressions for ARG, ODC, iNOS and PCNA. Furthermore, inhibitors of arginine metabolism (L-NMMA and DFMO) both inhibited cell proliferation, while addition of its metabolites (NO and putrescine) promoted the cell proliferation and cell cycle, the mRNA expressions of PCNA, EGF and IGF-1, and increased (P < 0.05) cellular protein synthesis rate, as well as estradiol and hCG secretion (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggested that arginine could promote cell proliferation and physiological function by regulating the metabolic pathway. Further studies showed that arginine and its metabolites modulate cell function mainly through β-catenin and mTOR pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of fermented corn–soybean meal mixed feed (FMF) on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids in weaned piglets. A total of 128 weaned piglets [Duroc×(Landrace×Yorkshire), male, 21-day-old] were randomly allocated to four groups. Piglets were fed a control diet (CON) or the control diet supplemented with 10%, 50% or 100% FMF (FMF-10, FMF-50 or FMF-100, respectively) for 14 d. The results showed that the FMF-100 group had higher average daily gain and average daily feed intake and lower diarrhea incidence than the CON group (p < 0.05). The FMF-50 and FMF-100 groups had greater villus height in the duodenum and jejunum, and the FMF-10 and FMF-100 groups had higher villus height-to-crypt depth ratio in the duodenum and jejunum than the CON group. Additionally, the FMF-100 group had higher protein expression of duodenal, jejunal and ileal ZO-1 and jejunal claudin-1; higher mRNA expression of duodenal and ileal TJP1 and jejunal CLDN1 and IL10; and lower jejunal IL1B mRNA expression (p < 0.05). The FMF-50 group showed higher jejunal ZO-1 and claudin-1 protein levels, higher mRNA expression levels of IL10 and TJP1 and lower levels of TNF in the jejunum; the FMF-10 group had higher mRNA expression levels of IL10 and lower levels of TNF in the jejunum than the CON group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the FMF-10 and FMF-50 groups had higher colonic Lactobacillus abundance and butyrate levels; the FMF-100 group had higher abundance of colonic butyrate, Lactobacillus and Faecalibacterium than the CON group (p < 0.05). Collectively, our results suggest that FMF could improve intestinal mucosal barrier function, gut microbiota and their metabolites, thereby enhancing average daily gain and reducing diarrhea incidence in weaned piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effect of L-arginine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response and oxidative stress in IPEC-2 cells. We found that the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14), nuclear factor-kappaBp65 (NF-κBp65), chemokine-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and chemokine-6 (IL-6) mRNA were significantly increased by LPS. Exposure to LPS induced oxidative stress as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malonaldehyde (MDA) production were increased while glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were decreased in LPS-treated cells compared to those in the control. LPS administration also effectively induced cell growth inhibition through induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. However, compared with the LPS group, cells co-treatment with L-arginine effectively increased cell viability and promoted the cell cycle into the S phase; L-arginine exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect in alleviating inflammation induced by LPS by reducing the abundance of TLR4, MyD88, CD14, NF-κBp65, and IL-8 transcripts. Cells treated with LPS+L-arginine significantly enhanced the content of GSH-Px, while they decreased the production of ROS and MDA compared with the LPS group. Furthermore, L-arginine increased the activity of arginase-1 (Arg-1), while Arg-1 inhibitor abolished the protection of arginine against LPS-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. Taken together, these results suggested that L-arginine exerted its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects to protect IPEC-J2 cells from inflammatory response and oxidative stress challenged by LPS at least partly via the Arg-1 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress has been associated with a number of physiological problems in swine, including reduced production efficiency. Recently, although there has been increased research into regulatory mechanisms and antioxidant strategies in relation to oxidative stress-induced pig production, it remains so far largely unsuccessful to develop accurate models and nutritional strategies for specific oxidative stress factors. Here, we discuss the dose and dose intensity of the causes of oxidative stress involving physiological, environmental and dietary factors, recent research models and the antioxidant strategies to provide theoretical guidance for future oxidative stress research in swine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Strong ultraviolet radiation is an extreme environmental characteristic of the Tibetan Plateau. Melanin is the most important light-protective substance that allows fish to resist ultraviolet radiation. In order to explore the melanin protection mechanism of fish in the Tibetan Plateau against strong ultraviolet radiation, Triplophysa stenura distributed in high elevation areas was selected as the research object. Transcriptome differences were compared between skin and peritoneal wall layers with different melanin contents to explore the regulatory genes related to melanin synthesis. This provides basic data for analyzing the molecular mechanism of melanin protection in plateau fish against strong ultraviolet radiation. The results indicate that a total of twenty-three DEGs are enriched in the melanin synthesis pathway by a local Blast comparison, of which nine DEGs are significantly upregulated in the peritoneal wall layer and six DEGs are significantly upregulated in the dorsal and lateral skin. The results suggest that these genes may be associated with the molecular mechanism of melanin synthesis in T. stenura, and the differential regulation of genes may be related to the differences in the UVR intensity and tissue sites of melanin synthesis. Further investigation is needed to determine how these genes specifically regulate melanin synthesis. A total of 81,868 All-Unigenes were sequenced and assembled by the transcriptome in the dorsal skin, the lateral skin, and the peritoneal wall layer of Triplophysa stenura with a total assembly length of 123,827,585 bp, and 68,750 unigenes were annotated to seven functional databases. A total of 588 DEGs were screened between the dorsal and lateral skin, 17,097 DEGs were screened between the dorsal skin and the peritoneal wall layer, and 16,598 DEGs were screened between the lateral skin and the peritoneal wall layer. Most of DEGs in three tissues were annotated to GO terms related to cellular structures, binding, cellular processes, and catalytic activity. They were also annotated to KEGG pathways such as the MAPK signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, melanogenesis, tyrosine metabolism, and cell cycle. A total of twenty-three DEGs were found to be enriched in the melanin synthesis pathway by a local Blast comparison, of which nine DEGs were significantly upregulated in the peritoneal wall layer and six DEGs were significantly upregulated in the dorsal and lateral skin. The results suggest that these genes may be associated with the molecular mechanism of melanin synthesis in T. stenura, and the differential regulation of genes may be related to the differences in UVR intensity and tissue sites of melanin synthesis. Further investigation is needed on how these genes specifically regulate melanin synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Given the escalating production of livestock and poultry coupled with the surging cost of soybean meal, the quest for alternative raw materials capable of replacing soybean meal is gaining increasing significance. Rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal, which are common by-products of agricultural production, offer viable plant-based protein substitutes for soybean meal in pig production. This study reveals that the incorporation of miscellaneous meal (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal) as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet did not significantly influence the growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, serum amino acid content, or fecal microbiota diversity of growing pigs weighing between 50 and 75 kg. These results suggest that miscellaneous meal (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal) could potentially serve as a partial or complete replacement for soybean meal in the diet of growing pigs. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of miscellaneous meal (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal) as a replacement for soybean meal on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, serum biochemical parameters, serum free amino acid contents, and gut microbiota of 50–75 kg growing pigs. A total of 54 healthy growing pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) with initial body weights (BWs) of 50.64 ± 2.09 kg were randomly divided into three treatment groups, which included the corn–soybean meal group (CON), corn–soybean–miscellaneous meal group (CSM), and corn–miscellaneous meal group (CM). Each treatment included six replicates with three pigs in each replicate. Dietary protein levels were maintained at 15% in all three treatment groups. Additional rapeseed meals, cottonseed meals, and sunflower seed meals were added to the CSM group's meals to partially replace the 10.99% soybean meal in the CON group in a 1:1:1 ratio. Pigs in the CM group were fed a diet with a mixture of miscellaneous meals (7.69% rapeseed meal, 7.69% cottonseed meal, and 7.68% sunflower seed meal) to totally replace soybean meal. Our findings revealed that there was no significant impact of replacing soybean meal with miscellaneous meal on the ADG (average daily gain), ADFI (average daily feed intake), or F/G (feed-to-gain ratio) (p > 0.05) of growing pigs weighing 50–75 kg, nor on the crude protein, crude fat, or gross energy (p > 0.05) of the diet. On the other hand, compared to the CON group, the CM group exhibited significantly elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and triglyceride (TG) levels (p < 0.05), while urea levels were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). No significant effect was observed on the serum free amino acid contents (p > 0.05) following the substitution of soybean meal with miscellaneous meal. A t-test analysis indicated that compared with the CON group, the CM group exhibited a significantly diminished abundance of Euryachaeota at the phylum level and augmented abundance of Desulfobacterota at the genus level. This study demonstrated that the miscellaneous meals (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal) as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet had no significant negative effects on the growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, serum amino acid content, or diversity of fecal microbiota in 50–75 kg growing pigs. These results can be helpful in developing further miscellaneous meals (rapeseed meal, cottonseed meal, and sunflower seed meal) as functional alternative feed ingredients to soybean meal in pig diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the zero-valent iron Fenton reagent (ZVI Fenton-like) system was combined with the chemical precipitation method for the deep treatment of desulfurization wastewater from coal-fired power plants, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was used as the evaluation criterion for organic matter in the desulfurization wastewater. The effects of reaction time, H2O2 dosage, zero-valent iron dosage, pH, and reaction temperature were also investigated. The results showed that the COD concentration of the effluent was the lowest when the running time of the ZVI Fenton-like reagent system was 1 h, the dosage of H2O2 was 33.3 mg·L−1, the dosage of iron was 0.075 g·L−1, the pH was 4.5~6.5, the reaction temperature was 35 °C, the COD concentration of the wastewater was the lowest and its operating conditions were the best, and the internal reaction mechanism was finally deduced. In summary, the zero-valent iron Fenton reagent system provides a new idea for the treatment of desulfurization wastewater from coal-fired power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high incidence of oxidative stress in sows during late gestation and lactation affects mammary gland health, milk yield, and milk quality. Recently, we found that supplementing maternal diets with 1% taurine improved antioxidant capability and enhanced growth performance in offspring; however, the mechanisms underlying these are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the cytoprotective effects and the mechanism of taurine in mitigating oxidative stress in porcine mammary epithelial cells (PMECs). PMECs were pretreated with 0–2.0 mM taurine for 12 h and then subjected to oxidative injury with 500 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Pretreatment with taurine attenuated decreased cell viability, enhanced superoxide dismutase, and reduced the intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation after H2O2 exposure. Taurine also prevented H2O2‐induced endoplasmic reticulum stress. Nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) was essential to the cytoprotective effects of taurine on PMECs, as Nrf2 knockdown significantly inhibited taurine‐induced cytoprotection against oxidative stress. Moreover, we confirmed that Nrf2 induction by taurine was mediated through the inactivation of the p38/MAPK pathway. Overall, taurine supplementation has beneficial effects on redox balance regulation and may protect against oxidative stress in lactating animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Changes in the expression of aquaporins (AQPs) in the intestine are proved to be associated with the attenuation of diarrhea. Diarrhea is a severe problem for postweaning piglets. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether niacin could alleviate diarrhea in weaned piglets by regulating AQPs expression and the underlying mechanisms; (2) Methods: 72 weaned piglets (Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire), 21 d old, 6.60 ± 0.05 kg) were randomly allotted into 3 groups for a 14-day feeding trial. Each treatment group included 6 replicate pens and each pen included 4 barrows (n = 24/treatment). Piglets were fed a basal diet (CON), a basal diet supplemented with 20.4 mg niacin/kg diet (NA) or the basal diet administered an antagonist for the GPR109A receptor (MPN). Additionally, an established porcine intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) was used to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanism of niacin on AQPs expression after Escherichia coli K88 (ETEC K88) treatment; (3) Results: Piglets fed niacin-supplemented diet had significantly decreased diarrhea rate, and increased mRNA and protein level of ZO-1, AQP 1 and AQP 3 in the colon compared with those administered a fed diet supplemented with an antagonist (p < 0.05). In addition, ETEC K88 treatment significantly reduced the cell viability, cell migration, and mRNA and protein expression of AQP1, AQP3, AQP7, AQP9, AQP11, and GPR109A in IPEC-J2 cells (p < 0.05). However, supplementation with niacin significantly prevented the ETEC K88-induced decline in the cell viability, cell migration, and the expression level of AQPs mRNA and protein in IPEC-J2 cells (p < 0.05). Furthermore, siRNA GPR109A knockdown significantly abrogated the protective effect of niacin on ETEC K88-induced cell damage (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: Niacin supplementation increased AQPs and ZO-1 expression to reduce diarrhea and intestinal damage through GPR109A pathway in weaned piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk fat is a major source of energy that determines the growth of neonates. Recently, studies have shown that valine is closely related to lipid metabolism. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effects of dietary valine supplementation on milk fat synthesis using a pig model. Thirty gilts were allotted to low (LV, total valine:lysine = 0.63:1), medium (MV, total valine:lysine = 0.73:1), and high (HV, total valine:lysine = 0.93:1) valine feeding levels from Day 75 of gestation till farrowing. The results demonstrated that the concentration of milk fat at Days 1, 3, and 7 of lactation in the HV group was higher than that in the MV and LV groups. The HV group had an increased (p <.05) proportion of total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids than the other groups. Examination of mammary tissue proteomics in the HV and LV groups revealed 121 differentially expressed proteins (68 upregulated and 53 downregulated in the HV group). The upregulated proteins in the HV group were relevant to some crucial pathways related to milk fat synthesis, including fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism, the AMPK signaling pathway, and oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, the key proteins involved in fatty acid synthesis (ACACA and FASN) were identified, and their expression levels were verified (p <.05) using Western blotting. Our findings revealed that dietary valine supplementation improves milk fat synthesis by modulating the expression of fatty acid synthesis–related proteins in mammary tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a widespread mycotoxin that induces intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress in humans and animals. Resveratrol (RES) effectively exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, the protective effects of RES on alleviating DON toxicity in piglets and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of RES on growth performance, gut health and the gut microbiota in DON-challenged piglets. A total of 64 weaned piglets [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire), 21-d-old, 6.97 ± 0.10 kg body weight (BW)] were randomly allocated to 4 treatment groups (8 replicate pens per treatment, each pen containing 2 males; n = 16 per treatment) for 28 d. The piglets were fed a control diet (CON) or the CON diet supplemented with 300 mg RES/kg diet (RES group), 3.8 mg DON/kg diet (DON) or both (DON+RES) in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Results: DON-challenged piglets fed the RES-supplemented diet had significantly decreased D-lactate concentrations and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) mRNA and protein expression, and increased zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) mRNA and protein expression compared with those of DON-challenged piglets fed the unsupplemented diet (P < 0.05). Compared with unsupplemented DON-challenged piglets, infected piglets fed a diet with RES showed significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levelsand increased mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant genes (i.e., GCLC, GCLM, HO-1, SOD1 and NQO-1) and glutamate-cysteine-ligase modulatory subunit (GCLM) protein expression (P < 0.05). Moreover, RES supplementation significantly abrogated the increase in the proportion of TUNEL-positive cells and the protein expression of caspase3 in DON-challenged piglets (P < 0.05). Finally, RES supplementation significantly increased the abundance of Roseburia and butyrate concentrations, while decreasing the abundances of Bacteroides and unidentified-Enterobacteriaceae in DON-challenged piglets compared with DON-challenged piglets alone (P < 0.05). Conclusions: RES supplementation improved gut health in DON-challenged piglets by strengthening intestinal barrier function, alleviating intestinal inflammation and oxidative damage, and positively modulating the gut microbiota. The protective effects of RES on gut health may be linked to increased Roseburia and butyrate concentrations, and decreased levels of Bacteroides and unidentified-Enterobacteriaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether dietary choline and bile acids affect lipid use via gut microbiota is unclear.Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of choline and bile acids on growth performance, lipid use, intestinal immunology, gut microbiota, and bacterial metabolites in weaned piglets.Methods: A total of 128 weaned piglets [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire), 21-d-old, 8.21 ± 0.20 kg body weight (BW)] were randomly allocated to 4 treatments (8 replicate pens per treatment, each pen containing 2 males and 2 females; n = 32 per treatment) for 28 d. Piglets were fed a control diet (CON) or the CON diet supplemented with 597 mg choline/kg (C), 500 mg bile acids/kg (BA) or both (C + BA) in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Growth performance, intestinal function, gut microbiota, and metabolites were determined.Results: Compared with diets without choline, choline supplementation increased BW gain (6.13%), average daily gain (9.45%), gain per feed (8.18%), jejunal lipase activity (60.2%), and duodenal IL10 gene expression (51%), and decreased the mRNA abundance of duodenal TNFA (TNFα) (40.7%) and jejunal toll-like receptor 4 (32.9%) (P < 0.05); additionally, choline increased colonic butyrate (29.1%) and the abundance of Lactobacillus (42.3%), while decreasing the bile acid profile (55.8% to 57.6%) and the abundance of Parabacteroides (75.8%), Bacteroides (80.7%), and unidentified-Ruminococcaceae (32.5%) (P ≤ 0.05). Compared with diets without BA, BA supplementation decreased the mRNA abundance of colonic TNFA (37.4%), NF-κB p65 (42.4%), and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (42.5%) (P ≤ 0.01); BA also increased colonic butyrate (20.9%) and the abundance of Lactobacillus (39.7%) and Faecalibacterium (71.6%) and decreased that of Parabacteroides (67.7%) (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Choline supplementation improved growth performance and prevented gut inflammation in weaned piglets by altering gut microbiota and lipid metabolism. BA supplementation suppressed intestinal inflammation with no effect on growth performance, which was associated with changed gut microbiota and metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mammary gland development during late gestation in gilts is a major factor that alters the composition of colostrum and growth performance of piglets. Plasma valine is taken up and metabolized extensively by the mammary gland; however, the effects of valine on mammary gland development during late gestation are still unclear. Thirty primiparous gilts were divided into three treatment groups (n = 10) and received one of the three diets starting on day 75 of gestation until the day of farrowing. The total dietary valine to lysine ratio of the three diets was 0.63 (LV), 0.73 (MV), and 0.93 (HV), respectively. Results: Dietary valine supplementation during late gestation did not affect (P > 0.05) the litter size and weight at farrowing; however, the piglet weight and average daily gain at weaning were linearly increased (P < 0.05) as the dietary valine increased. The highest piglet weight at weaning was observed when the gilts were provided the HV diet. Dietary valine supplementation linearly elevated (P < 0.05) protein, fat and solids-not-fat and some free amino acids content in colostrum. The concentration of prolactin in plasma of gilts was linearly increased in response to valine supplementation at days 1 and 10 of lactation (P < 0.05). Furthermore, with increasing dietary valine allowance, a linear increase (P < 0.05) was observed in the area of the lumen of alveolus and the content of DNA, RNA, and total protein in the mammary tissues at day 1 of lactation. Moreover, the protein expression of cyclin D1, p-mTOR, p-S6, and p-4EBP1 was also linearly increased (P < 0.05) in the mammary tissue at day 1 of lactation. However, no difference (P > 0.05) was observed in the indices related to mammary development and the mTOR signaling pathway at day 21 of lactation. Conclusion: The results revealed that increasing the total dietary valine to lysine ratio to 0.93 during late gestation significantly enhances the piglet weight and average daily gain at weaning probably due to improved development of mammary gland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein interactions are crucial for maintaining homeostasis. Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), a transcription factor that interacts with various proteins, is highly expressed in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protein interaction profile of HSF1 in cervical SCC. Proteins interacting with HSF1 in SCC tissue and non-cancerous control (Ctrl) tissue were obtained by immunoprecipitation, separated by SDS-PAGE, identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and analyzed using bioinformatics methods. A total of 220 and 241 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry in the tissues of Ctrl and SCC samples, respectively, among which 172 were detected exclusively in SCC (Pro-S), 151 exclusively in Ctrl (Pro-C) and 69 in both groups (Pro-B). The protein interaction profiles were different in each group; the STRING database identified three proteins that interacted with HSF1 directly, including insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and small nuclear RNA-activating protein complex subunit 4 in Pro-C and small ubiquitin-related modifier 1 in Pro-S. Functional enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology revealed that the top terms were alternative splicing in Pro-S and polymorphism in Pro-C. In Pro-S, more categories were related to protein modification, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination and acetylation. Therefore, HSF1 may influence the occurrence and development of cervical SCC by interacting with specific proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Optimizing dietary Val-to-Lys ratio during late gestation is useful on the subsequent lactation performance in sows. • Increased performance of suckling piglets is obtained when administering the dams with Val in late gestation and lactation. • Optimizing total dietary Val: Lys to 0.87:1in late gestation and lactation is beneficial to lactation performance in sows. A study was conducted to investigate the effect of optimizing valine-to-lysine ratio by dietary supplement with valine (Val) in late gestation (starting on day 85) or lactation on biochemical indices and lactation performance. Sixty pregnant gilts (Yorkshire × Landrace) were randomly allocated to one of four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial experimental design, where the factors were supplementation with L-Val (optimizing total valine: lysine to 0.87:1) or with L-alanine (Ala, isonitrogenous control) in late gestation and/or lactation. The diets contained 14.02 MJ of ME/kg energy and 203.1 g/kg to 203.3 g/kg crude protein (CP), were fed at 2 kg daily during late gestation and ad libitum during lactation. Feeding the Val-supplemented diet compared with control during late gestation improved the weaning body weight (BW) and of sucking piglets (P < 0.05), and a marked increase in maternal feed intake (P < 0.05); there were no differences in backfat loss, weaning-to-estrus interval (WEI) or biochemical variables. With Val-supplementation of the lactation diet, weaning BW of sucking piglets and BW gain of litters were greater than the controls (P < 0.05). Improvement of milk fat (day 7 to day 14 of lactation), milk protein (day 7 of lactation) and non-fat solids (day 7 to day 14 of lactation) were noted from the sows fed Val-supplemented diet during lactation (P < 0.05). On day 14 of lactation, plasma concentrations of free Val and prolactin in sows and concentrations of some free amino acids (AA) in milk were greater (P < 0.05), and plasma glucose was lower (P < 0.05), in response to Val supplementation during lactation. There was no gestation × lactation Val interaction on the performance of sows and their suckling piglets. Collectively, results indicate the beneficial effects of optimizing the total dietary Val: Lys to 0.87:1 in late gestation and lactation on improving the performance of lactating sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal epithelial barrier damage disrupts immune homeostasis and leads to many intestinal disorders. Lactobacillus reuteri strains have probiotic functions in their modulation of the microbiota and immune system in intestines. In this study, the effects of L. reuteri LR1, a new strain isolated from the feces of weaning piglets, on intestinal epithelial barrier damage in IPEC-1 cells caused by challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 were examined. It was found that L. reuteri LR1, in large part, offset the ETEC K88-induced increase in permeability of IPEC-1 cell monolayers and decreased the adhesion and invasion of the coliform in IPEC-1 cells. In addition, L. reuteri LR1 increased transcript abundance and protein contents of tight junction (TJ) proteins zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) and occludin in ETEC K88-infected IPEC-1 cells, whereas it had no effects on claudin-1 and F-actin expression. Using colloidal gold immunoelectron microscopy, these effects of L. reuteri LR1 on ZO-1 and occludin content in IPEC-1 cells were confirmed. By using ML-7, a selective inhibitor of myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK), the beneficial effect of L. reuteri LR1 on contents of ZO-1 and occludin was shown to be dependent on the MLCK pathway. In conclusion, L. reuteri LR1 had beneficial effects on epithelial barrier function consistent with increasing ZO-1 and occludin expression via a MLCK-dependent manner in IPEC-1 cells during challenge with ETEC K88. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus reuteri LR1, a new strain isolated from the feces of weaned pigs, on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune responses, and intestinal barrier function in weaned pigs. A total of 144 weaned pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 21 d of age) with an initial BW of 6.49 ± 0.02 kg were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments with 8 replicate pens, each of per treatment and 6 pigs. Pigs were fed a basal diet (CON, controls), the basal diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg olaquindox and 75 mg/kg aureomycin (OA) or the basal diet supplemented with 5 × 1010 cfu/kg L. reuteri LR1 for a 14-d period. At the end of study, the ADG, ADFI, and G:F were calculated, and 1 randomly selected pig from each pen was euthanized for sample collection. The LR1 increased ADG (22.73%, P < 0.05) compared with CON. The villus height of the ileum was increased (P < 0.05) and crypt depth in duodenum was reduced (P < 0.05), along with increased (P < 0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio of the jejunum and ileum by LR1 compared with CON and OA. LR1 increased (P < 0.05) ileal mucosal content of IL-22 and transforming growth factor-β compared with OA. Compared with CON, LR1 increased (P < 0.05) and OA decreased (P < 0.05) the ileal content of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), and the abundance of transcripts of porcine β-defensin 2 and protegrin 1-5. Compared with CON, LR1 increased (P < 0.05) tight junction protein zonula occludens-1 and occludin transcripts in the mucosa of the jejunum and ileum, and those of mucin-2 in ileal mucosa. The relative expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 were increased (P < 0.05) in ileal mucosa in pigs fed LR1 compared with CON. In conclusion, these data indicated that dietary LR1 supplementation at 5 × 1010 cfu/kg improved growth performance, intestinal morphology, and intestinal barrier function in weaned pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-eight Duroc x Landrace x Large White gilts were used to determine the relationship between proteome changes of longissimus muscle and intramuscular fat (IMF) content in arginine-supplemented pigs. Beginning at 60 kg BW, pigs were fed a corn- and soybean meal-based diet supplemented or not with 1% L-arginine until they reached a BW of 100 kg. Supplementation with 1% L-arginine did not affect the growth performance or carcass traits, while it increased IMF content by 32% (P < 0.01), it also decreased the drip loss at 48 h post-mortem and the b* meat color value at 24 h post-mortem; supplementation with 1% dietary L-arginine did not change the proportion of SFA and MUFA in muscle lipids. The proteome changes in longissimus muscle between the control and supplemented pigs showed that L-arginine significantly influenced the abundance of proteins related to energy metabolism, fiber type and structure. The increase in IMF content was positively correlated with the increased abundance of slow twitch troponin I (TNNI1) protein and negatively correlated with myosin heavy chain IIb (MyHC IIb) protein content. It is suggested that the proteome changes in longissimus muscle contributed to the greater IMF content in L-arginine supplemented pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD4 T cell enumeration is the most widely used prognostic marker for management of HIV disease. Internal quality control and external quality assessment (EQA) programs are critical to ensure reliability of clinical measurements. The utility of stabilized whole blood products (SWBP) as a test reagent for EQA programs such as Quality Assessment and Standardization for Immunological measures relevant to HIV/AIDS (QASI) program have been demonstrated previously. Since then, several new commercial SWBPs and alternative CD4 enumeration technologies have become available. Seven SWBPs were evaluated on seven different enumeration platforms to determine which product(s) are most suitable for EQA programs that support multiple analytical technologies. Method: Assessment of SWBPs was based on two criteria: (1) accuracy of CD4 T cell measurements and; (2) stability under sub optimal storage conditions. Results: Three SWBPs (Multi-Check, StatusFlow and CD4 Count) showed accurate CD4 T-cell absolute count and percentage values across six of the enumeration platforms. All products retain stability up to 18 days at 21–23°C with the exception of Multi-Check-high on FacsCount and Multi-Check-Low and StatusFlow-Low on Pima. One of the products (CD4 Count) retained stability for three days on all platforms tested when stored at 37°C. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the characteristics of commercially available SWBPs vary across multiple CD4 platforms. The compatibility of testing panels for EQA programs with multiple analytical platforms needs to be carefully considered, especially in large multiplatform CD4 EQA programs. The selection of a suitable cross-platform SWBP is an increasing challenge as more reagents and platforms are introduced for CD4 T-cell enumeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The protective effect of niacin on growth performance and gut health of weaned piglets and the underlying mechanism remains unclear despite it being a common additive in pig diets. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of niacin on growth performance, intestinal morphology, intestinal mucosal immunity, and colonic microbiota in weaned piglets. Our results show that niacin supplementation significantly improved the growth performance in piglets as compared with those given a niacin receptor antagonist. Niacin also significantly improved the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria in the colon and alleviate the inflammatory response in the intestinal mucosa as compared with control piglets and those given a niacin receptor antagonist. These results provide new insight into the beneficial effects of niacin on growth performance and gut health in weaned piglets. This study aimed to investigate the effects of niacin on growth performance, intestinal morphology, intestinal mucosal immunity, and colonic microbiota in weaned piglets. A total of 96 weaned piglets (Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire), 21-d old, 6.65 ± 0.02 kg body weight (BW)) were randomly allocated into 3 treatment groups (8 replicate pens per treatment, each pen containing 4 males; n = 32/treatment) for 14 d. Piglets were fed a control diet (CON) or the CON diet supplemented with 20.4 mg/kg niacin (NA) or an antagonist for the niacin receptor GPR109A (MPN). The results showed that NA or MPN had no effect on ADG, ADFI, G/F or diarrhea incidence compared with the CON diet. However, compared with piglets in the NA group, piglets in the MPN group had lower ADG (p = 0.042) and G/F (p = 0.055). In comparison with the control and MPN group, niacin supplementation increased the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (p < 0.05), while decreasing the crypt depth in the duodenum (p < 0.05). Proteomics analysis of cytokines showed that niacin supplementation increased the expression of duodenal transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), jejunal interleukin-10 (IL-10) and ileal interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p < 0.05), and reduced the expression of ileal interleukin-8 (IL-8) (p < 0.05) compared with the control diet. Piglets in the MPN group had significantly increased expression of ileal IL-6, and jejunal IL-8 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (p < 0.05) compared with those in the control group. Piglets in the MPN group had lower jejunal IL-10 level and higher jejunal IL-8 level than those in the NA group (p < 0.05). The mRNA abundance of duodenal IL-8 and ileal granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) genes were increased (p < 0.05), and that of ileal IL-10 transcript was decreased (p < 0.05) in the MPN group compared with both the control and NA groups. Additionally, niacin increased the relative abundance of Dorea in the colon as compared with the control and MPN group (p < 0.05), while decreasing that of Peptococcus compared with the control group (p < 0.05) and increasing that of Lactobacillus compared with MPN supplementation (p < 0.05). Collectively, the results indicated that niacin supplementation efficiently ensured intestinal morphology and attenuated intestinal inflammation of weaned piglets. The protective effects of niacin on gut health may be associated with increased Lactobacillus and Dorea abundance and butyrate content and decreased abundances of Peptococcus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Protein restriction strategies are often used in weaned piglets to reduce the incidence of intestinal disorders that are sensitive to dietary protein supply, but may lead to a decline in production performance. Subsequent protein realimentation can alleviate the detrimental effects of reduced dietary protein on growth. However, the effects of protein realimentation on the body composition, gut microbiota and metabolite profiles of piglets are poorly understood. The present study, combining comparative slaughter methods, microbiome and metabolome analyses, demonstrated that protein restriction and subsequent realimentation lead to compensatory growth and compensatory protein deposition in piglets, and contribute to animal intestinal health by altering the gut microbiota and metabolite profiles. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of protein restriction and subsequent protein realimentation on the body composition, gut microbiota and metabolite profiles of piglets. Fifty weaned piglets were randomly assigned to two treatments: a normal protein (NP) group (20% crude protein (CP)) or a low protein (LP) group (16% CP) with five animals per pen and five pens per group. Treatment diets were fed for 14 d during the protein restriction phase, and then all pigs were fed the same nursery diets with a normal CP level (19% CP) during the protein realimentation phase until they reached an average target body weight (BW) of 25 ± 0.15 kg. At day 14 and the end of the experiment, one piglet close to the average BW of each pen was slaughtered to determine body composition, microbial composition and microbial metabolites. Results showed that there was no difference (p > 0.05) in the experimental days to reach target BW between the LP and NP groups. The average daily gain (ADG) and gain:feed ratio (G:F) during the protein restriction phase as well as BW at day 14, were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the LP group compared with the NP group. However, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) during the protein realimentation phase and the overall experiment. Similarly, piglets in the LP group showed a significantly decreased body protein content (p < 0.05) at day 14, but not (p > 0.05) at the end of the experiment. The relative abundance of Parabacteroides, Butyricicoccus, Olsenella, Succinivibrio and Pseudoramibacter were significantly increased (p < 0.05), while the relative abundance of Alloprevotella and Faecalicoccus were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the LP group at day 14. At the end of the experiment, the piglets in the LP group showed a higher (p < 0.05) colonic relative abundances of Parabacteroides, unidentified Christensenellaceae and Caproiciproducens, and a lower (p < 0.05) relative abundance of unidentified Prevotellaceae, Haemophilus, Marvinbryantia, Faecalibaculum, Neisseria and Dubosiella than those in the NP group. Metabolomics analyses indicated that tryptophan metabolism and vitamin metabolism were enriched in the LP group at day 14, and glycerophospholipid metabolism and fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acid metabolism were enriched at the end of the experiment. Moreover, Spearman's correlation analysis demonstrated that the microbial composition was highly correlated with changes in colonic metabolites. Collectively, these results indicated that protein restriction and subsequent realimentation lead to compensatory growth and compensatory protein deposition in piglets and contribute to animal intestinal health by altering the gut microbiota and its metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Little is known about the effect of fermented feed on lean mass production of finishing pigs and the underlying mechanism. This study aimed to investigate the effect of fermented diet on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and growth of longissimus thoracis (LT) of finishing pigs. Our results found that fermented diet significantly increased loin eye area and lean mass percentage, decreased backfat thickness and improved meat quality of LT by decreasing shear force and drip loss at 48 h post slaughter and improving meat sensory characteristics compared with control diet. Fermented diet also increased the abundance of insulin, insulin receptor, myoblast determination protein (MyoD) and myosin heavy chain-I (MyHC-I) transcripts, and the phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B (AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTORC1), initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) and S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) in LT, while decreasing the expression of muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and forkhead Box O1 (Foxo1) mRNA transcripts. Our results indicated that fermented diet improved meat quality and enhanced LT growth of finishing pigs by increasing insulin/AKT/mTORC1 protein synthesis cascade and activating Foxo1/MAFbx pathway, along with the regulation of ribosomal protein and proteins involved in muscle contraction and muscle hypertrophy. This study investigated the effect of fermented diet on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and growth of longissimus thoracis (LT) of finishing pigs. A total of 48 finishing pigs [Duroc × (Landrace × Large White), male, 126 ± 5-d-old] weighing 98.76 ± 1.27 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments (eight pens per treatment and three pigs per pen) for a 28-d feeding trial, including control diet and fermented diet. Fermented diet significantly increased the loin eye area and lean mass percentage, decreased backfat thickness and improved meat quality of LT by decreasing the shear force and drip loss at 48 h post slaughter and improving meat sensory characteristics compared with control diet. A fermented diet also significantly increased the abundance of insulin, insulin receptor (IR), myoblast determination protein (MyoD) and myosin heavy chain-I (MyHC-I) transcripts, and the phosphorylation levels of AKT, mTORC1, 4EBP1 and S6K1 in LT, while decreasing the expression of muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and forkhead Box O1 (Foxo1) mRNA transcripts. Moreover, proteomic analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins predominantly involved in protein synthesis and muscle development were modulated by fermented diet. Our results indicated that a fermented diet improved meat quality and enhanced LT growth of finishing pigs by increasing insulin/AKT/mTORC1 protein synthesis cascade and activating the Foxo1/MAFbx pathway, along with the regulation of ribosomal protein and proteins involved in muscle contraction and muscle hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although increasing evidence has documented the association of exposure to air pollution and childhood obesity, a limited number of studies have reported the relationship of air pollution exposure to early childhood body mass index (BMI) growth trajectories, which are strong predictors of future health. We aimed to examine the associations of prenatal and postnatal (first-year and second-year) exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and indicators of exposure to major roadways with obesity at 2 years old and BMI-for-age Z-score (BMIZ) growth trajectories between 0 and 2 years old. The length and weight of the children were repeatedly measured at birth and at 1 year (±1 month) and 2 years (±1 month) of age. Sex-specific BMIZs were calculated, and children with BMIZs greater than the 95th percentile were identified as cases of obesity (BMIZ cut-offs of childhood obesity were 1.78 for boys and 1.60 for girls). Exposure to NO 2 was evaluated using a land use regression model. Two indicators for major roadways exposure (length of major roadways surrounding the residence and residential distance to the nearest major roadway) were calculated according to the residential address during pregnancy. We explored the prenatal NO 2 exposure windows associated with incident obesity at 2 years old and found that the third trimester was the prenatal NO 2 exposure window with the significant higher risk. Each 10 μg/m3 incremental change in prenatal exposure to NO 2 was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 1.10 for childhood obesity (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.20). However, postnatal (first-year and second-year) exposure to NO 2 was not associated with obesity risk at 2 years old. No significant associations were observed between indicators of exposure to major roadways and risk of obesity at 2 years old. In addition, prenatal exposure to the highest quartile of NO 2 was significantly associated with a faster overall growth rate of the BMIZ from birth to the age of 2 years old (the slope of the BMIZ trajectories, β 3 (standard error), for the 4th quartile vs. the 1st quartile: 0.88 (0.15), P value < 0.05, P for trend < 0.05). Our study suggested that prenatal exposure to high levels of NO 2 may be associated with an increased risk of obesity at 2 years old and a faster overall growth rate of the BMIZ between 0 and 2 years of age. • The 3rd trimester was the NO 2 exposure window associated with childhood obesity. • Prenatal exposure to NO 2 was related to a faster growth of childhood BMI Z score. • Prenatal exposure to NO 2 was associated with a higher risk of childhood obesity. • No associations of major roadways with childhood growth or obesity were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Previous studies showed that gilts had elevated oxidative stress during late gestation and lactation, and could affect offspring growth. Taurine (Tau) is an important regulator of oxidative stress and possesses growth-enhancing properties. Our results suggested that taurine supplementation during late gestation and lactation of gilts increased growth performance in piglets through improved milk quality of gilts and intestinal morphology and barrier function of offspring. Birth is one of the most important events of animal production agriculture, as newborns are abruptly forced to adapt to environmental and nutritional disruptions that can lead to oxidative damage and delay in growth. Taurine (Tau) is an important regulator of oxidative stress and possesses growth-enhancing properties. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dietary Tau supplementation in gilts during late gestation and lactation on the growth performance of piglets by assessing intestinal morphology and barrier function, and oxidative stress status. Sixteen gilts were randomly allocated to the Con (basal diet) and Tau (basal diet with 1% Tau) groups from 75 d of gestation to weaning. Maternal dietary Tau supplementation significantly increased weaning weight and average daily gain weight in piglets. Piglets in the Tau group had higher villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (VCR), ZO-1 protein expression, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in the jejunum. Meanwhile, Tau bebeficial affected the milk quality of gilts, as indicated by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidative capability (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) activity. Furthermore, Tau supplementation increased T-SOD activity in plasma and SOD2 protein expression in the jejunum in the piglets. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that dietary Tau supplementation to gilts improves growth performance in piglets, owing to improved intestinal morphology and barrier function, as well as inhibition of oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]