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. 2023 Aug;153(8):2249-2262.
doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.019. Epub 2023 Jun 20.

Dietary Prebiotic Oligosaccharides and Arachidonate Alter the Fecal Microbiota and Mucosal Lipid Composition of Suckling Pigs

Brandon J Eudy  1 , Jack Odle  2 , Xi Lin  1 , Christian Maltecca  1 , Kathleen R Walter  1 , Nathan P McNulty  3 , Vivek Fellner  1 , Sheila K Jacobi  4
Affiliations

Dietary Prebiotic Oligosaccharides and Arachidonate Alter the Fecal Microbiota and Mucosal Lipid Composition of Suckling Pigs

Brandon J Eudy et al. J Nutr. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Early intestinal development is important to infant vitality, and optimal formula composition can promote gut health.

Objectives: The objectives were to evaluate the effects of arachidonate (ARA) and/or prebiotic oligosaccharide (PRE) supplementation in formula on the development of the microbial ecosystem and colonic health parameters.

Methods: Newborn piglets were fed 4 formulas containing ARA [0.5 compared with 2.5% of dietary fatty acids (FAs)] and PRE (0 compared with 8 g/L, containing a 1:1 mixture of galactooligosaccharides and polydextrose) in a 2 x 2 factorial design for 22 d. Fecal samples were collected weekly and analyzed for relative microbial abundance. Intestinal samples were collected on day 22 and analyzed for mucosal FAs, pH, and short-chain FAs (SCFAs).

Results: PRE supplementation significantly increased genera within Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, including Anaerostipes, Mitsuokella, Prevotella, Clostridium IV, and Bulleidia, and resulted in progressive separation from controls as determined by Principal Coordinates Analysis. Concentrations of SCFA increased from 70.98 to 87.37 mM, with an accompanying reduction in colonic pH. ARA supplementation increased the ARA content of the colonic mucosa from 2.35-5.34% of total FAs. PRE supplementation also altered mucosal FA composition, resulting in increased linoleic acid (11.52-16.33% of total FAs) and ARA (2.35-5.16% of total FAs).

Conclusions: Prebiotic supplementation during the first 22 d of life altered the gut microbiota of piglets and increased the abundance of specific bacterial genera. These changes correlated with increased SCFA, which may benefit intestinal development. Although dietary ARA did not alter the microbiota, it increased the ARA content of the colonic mucosa, which may support intestinal development and epithelial repair. Prebiotic supplementation also increased unsaturation of FAs in the colonic mucosa. Although the mechanism requires further investigation, it may be related to altered microbial ecology or biohydrogenation of FA.

Keywords: ARA; infant formula; microbiota; oligosaccharides; prebiotics.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Effects of formula supplementation with prebiotics and ARA on the fecal microbiota Shannon Alpha Diversity Index in suckling pigs over 22 d. Alpha diversity was measured in fecal samples taken on day 0 (A), day 7 (B), day 14 (C), and day 22 (D). PRE+/- indicates prebiotic supplementation; ARA +/- indicates arachidonate supplementation. Relative alpha diversity is expressed in arbitrary units. All responses are expressed as AU. PRE, prebiotic oligosaccharide.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Effects of formula supplementation with prebiotics and ARA to suckling pigs on the fecal microbiota over 22 d. Principal Coordinates Analysis was performed on the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity metric of fecal samples taken on day 0 (A), day 7 (B), day 14 (C), and day 22 (D). PRE+/- indicates prebiotic supplementation; ARA+/- indicates arachidonate supplementation. The ellipses represent clustering of pigs fed prebiotics (PRE+) compared with pigs not fed prebiotics (PRE-). PRE, prebiotic oligosaccharide.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Adonis statistical comparisons between microbial communities following the feeding of formula with or without prebiotics (PRE+/-) or arachidonate (ARA+/-) to suckling pigs for 7, 14, or 22 d. PRE, prebiotic oligosaccharide.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Effects of formula supplementation with prebiotics to suckling pigs on the relative abundance of microbial genera for 7, 14, or 22 d. Log fold changes are expressed as the contrast of PRE+/PRE-. Each circle represents multiple ASVs grouped by genera with -log10 (P value) displayed in the center. Measurements were taken on day 7 (A), day 14 (B), and day 22 (C). All contrasts displayed were statistically significant, P < 0.05. ASV, amplicon sequence variants; PRE, prebiotic oligosaccharide.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Persistent genus-level changes after formula supplementation with prebiotics to suckling pigs for 7, 14, or 22 d. Log2 fold changes are expressed as the contrast of PRE+/PRE-. All contrasts displayed were statistically significant, P < 0.05. PRE, prebiotic oligosaccharide.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Summary of the effects of formula supplementation with prebiotics and ARA on suckling pigs over 22 d. GOS, galactooligosaccharides; PXD, polydextrose.
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