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. 2019 May 28;9(6):284.
doi: 10.3390/ani9060284.

Cecal Infusion of Sodium Propionate Promotes Intestinal Development and Jejunal Barrier Function in Growing Pigs

Yanan Zhang  1   2 , Huizi Chen  3   4 , Weiyun Zhu  5   6   7 , Kaifan Yu  8   9   10
Affiliations

Cecal Infusion of Sodium Propionate Promotes Intestinal Development and Jejunal Barrier Function in Growing Pigs

Yanan Zhang et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by microbial fermentation facilitate the differentiation and proliferation of intestinal epithelium. However, the role of individual SCFAs, such as propionate, on intestinal development is still unclear. In the present study, sixteen barrows fitted with a cecal fistula were randomly divided into two groups for cecal infusion of either saline (control group) or sodium propionate (propionate group). After 28 days, the length and the relative weight of intestinal segments were calculated, the intestinal morphology was assessed, and the expression of tight junction protein was measured using qPCR and Western blotting. Compared to the saline group, the length of the colon was significantly increased in the propionate group (p < 0.05). The jejunal villi length and villi/crypt ratio in the propionate group were significantly higher than in the saline group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, propionate infusion significantly upregulated the mRNA levels of Claudin-4 and the expression of Claudin-1, Claudin-4, and Occludin protein in the jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05). Collectively, these findings revealed that the short-chain fatty acid propionate in the hindgut contributed to intestinal development, and selectively enhanced jejunal tight junction protein expression.

Keywords: intestinal development; pigs; propionate; tight junction.

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Conflict of interest statement

All the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histological evaluation of jejunal tissues from pig exposure to saline and propionate by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-Staining. The yellow arrows denote villi length used for measurement.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of the cecal infusion of propionate on the mRNA levels of tight junction proteins in the jejunum (A) and colon (B).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of the cecal infusion of propionate on the expression of tight junction protein expression in the jejunum: (A) the bands and (B) relative band density.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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