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. 2017:2017:4862861.
doi: 10.1155/2017/4862861. Epub 2017 Mar 12.

L-Glutamine Supplementation Alleviates Constipation during Late Gestation of Mini Sows by Modifying the Microbiota Composition in Feces

Yuanyuan Zhang  1 , Taofeng Lu  1 , Lingxia Han  1 , Lili Zhao  1 , Yinjie Niu  1 , Hongyan Chen  1
Affiliations

L-Glutamine Supplementation Alleviates Constipation during Late Gestation of Mini Sows by Modifying the Microbiota Composition in Feces

Yuanyuan Zhang et al. Biomed Res Int. 2017.

Abstract

Constipation occurs frequently in both sows and humans, particularly, during late gestation. The microbial community of the porcine gut, the enteric microbiota, plays a critical role in functions that sustain intestinal health. Hence, microbial regulation during pregnancy may be important to prevent host constipation. The present study was conducted to determine whether L-glutamine (Gln) supplementation improved intestinal function and alleviated constipation by regulation of enteric microbiota. 16S rRNA sequences obtained from fecal samples from 9 constipated sows (3 in the constipation group and 6 in the 1.0% Gln group) were assessed from gestational day 70 to 84. Comparative analysis showed that the abundance of intestinal-friendly microbiota, that is, Bacteroidetes (P = 0.007) and Actinobacteria (P = 0.037), was comparatively increased in the 1.0% Gln group, while the abundance of pernicious bacteria, Oscillospira (P < 0.001) and Treponema (P = 0.011), was decreased. Dietary supplementation with 1.0% Gln may ameliorate constipation of sows by regulated endogenous gut microbiota.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) A Venn diagram of OTUs. The letter “X” represents the number of OTUs in constipated pregnant mini sows and “Y” represents the number of OTUs in constipated pregnant mini sows fed a diet supplemented with 1.0% Gln. Unique and shared OTUs between the two groups were based on 97% similarity. (b) The number of taxon tags at different levels.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Species rarefaction curves of all samples. (b) Rank-abundance curves of all samples.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative abundance of X (represents constipation group) and Y (represents 1.0% Gln group) at the phylum level (a), order level (b), and genus level (c). Each color represents the percentage of the levels in the total effective tags of each group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Beta diversity (weighted UniFrac) among two groups. The letter “X” represents diversity of the constipation group and “Y” represents diversity of the 1.0% Gln group. Beta diversity indexes were measured based on weighted UniFrac and unweighted UniFrac distances. The upper and lower numbers in the grid represent the weighted UniFrac and unweighted UniFrac distances, respectively. (b) PCoA plot based on the weighted UniFrac metric. The letter “X” represents clusters of the constipation group and “Y” represents clusters of the 1.0% Gln group.
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