Effects of supplemental L-tryptophan on serotonin, cortisol, intestinal integrity, and behavior in weanling piglets1,2
2006/04/01 by S.J. Koopmans, S. J. Koopmans, A. C. Guzik +7 · 27 citations
Veterinary · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies #Animal Nutrition and Physiology #Meat and Animal Product Quality
paper · doi:10.2527/2006.844963x
Abstract
Stress occurs in intensive pig farming when piglets are weaned and mixed. In this study, we investigated whether this stress might be reduced with elevated dietary levels of Trp. The effects of supplemental dietary Trp (5 g/kg of feed, as-fed basis) were tested on the neuroendocrine system, intestinal integrity, behavior, and growth performance in nursery pigs, both before and after mixing. Mixing occurred 5 d after weaning and diet introduction. On d 4, 5, and 6, Trp-fed pigs vs. control pigs showed approximately a 2-fold elevation in plasma Trp concentrations (68 +/- 7 vs. 32 +/- 2 micromol/L; P < 0.001), a 38% increase in hypothalamic serotonin turnover as measured by 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid:5-hydroxytryptamine (P < 0.001), and an 11 to 18% increase (P < 0.05) in the intestinal villus height:crypt depth. Before (d 4) and at (d 5) mixing, saliva but not plasma cortisol concentrations were reduced (P < 0.02) by approximately 2-fold in Trp-fed pigs vs. control pigs. Intestinal paracellular (horseradish peroxidase) and transcellular (fluorescein isothiocyanate) transport of macromolecules were not affected by dietary treatment, but mixing induced a 2-fold reduction (P < 0.05) in transcellular transport. Behavioral responses (lying and standing) at mixing were not affected by dietary treatment, except on d 10 after diet introduction when Trp supplementation induced more lying and less standing (P < 0.02). Average daily gain and ADFI were not different among dietary groups (P > 0.10). In conclusion, supplemental dietary Trp (5 g/kg) to piglets increased hypothalamic serotonergic activity, reduced the salivary cortisol response to mixing, improved intestinal morphology, and reduced physical activity 10 d after diet introduction. Consequently, diets containing high Trp levels improved neuroendocrine components of stress and increased gastrointestinal robustness but did not affect behavioral reactivity in nursery pigs during weaning and mixing.
Cited by
- Nutritional management of gut health in pigs around weaning
- Management and Feeding Strategies in Early Life to Increase Piglet Performance and Welfare around Weaning: A Review
- Psychosocial Stress and Immunity-What Can We Learn From Pig Studies? [europepmc]
- The effect of graded concentrations of dietary tryptophan on canine behavior in response to the approach of a familiar or unfamiliar individual. [europepmc]
- Tryptophan Metabolic Pathways and Brain Serotonergic Activity: A Comparative Review. [europepmc]
- L-tryptophan Enhances Intestinal Integrity in Diquat-Challenged Piglets Associated with Improvement of Redox Status and Mitochondrial Function. [europepmc]
- Amino Acids Influencing Intestinal Development and Health of the Piglets. [europepmc]
- Resilience In Dogs? Lessons From Other Species. [europepmc]
- Interplay between Neuroendocrine Biomarkers and Gut Microbiota in Dogs Supplemented with Grape Proanthocyanidins: Results of Dietary Intervention Study. [europepmc]
- Effects of Three Distinct 2-Week Long Diet Strategies After Transport on Weaned Pigs' Short and Long-Term Welfare Markers, Behaviors, and Microbiota. [europepmc]
- Increasing dietary tryptophan in conjunction with decreasing other large neutral amino acids increases weight gain and feed intake in weaner pigs regardless of experimental infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. [europepmc]
- Management and Feeding Strategies in Early Life to Increase Piglet Performance and Welfare around Weaning: A Review. [europepmc]
- Invited Review: Maintain or Improve Piglet Gut Health around Weanling: The Fundamental Effects of Dietary Amino Acids. [europepmc]
- Measures Matter-Determining the True Nutri-Physiological Value of Feed Ingredients for Swine. [europepmc]
- Physiological Effects of Deoxynivalenol from Naturally Contaminated Corn on Cerebral Tryptophan Metabolism, Behavioral Response, Gastrointestinal Immune Status and Health in Pigs Following a Pair-Feeding Model. [europepmc]
- Functional Amino Acids in Pigs and Chickens: Implication for Gut Health. [europepmc]
- Tail-Biting in Pigs: A Scoping Review. [europepmc]
- The Combined Effect of Weaning Stress and Immune Activation during Pig Gestation on Serum Cytokine and Analyte Concentrations. [europepmc]
- Use of low dosage amino acid blends to prevent stress-related piglet diarrhea. [europepmc]
- Potential improvements of the cognition of piglets through a synbiotic supplementation from 1 to 28 days via the gut microbiota. [europepmc]
- Serotonin receptors and their association with the immune system in the gastrointestinal tract of weaning piglets. [europepmc]
- Tryptophan Supplementation Enhances Intestinal Health by Improving Gut Barrier Function, Alleviating Inflammation, and Modulating Intestinal Microbiome in Lipopolysaccharide-Challenged Piglets. [europepmc]
- Effects of Rumen-Protected L-Tryptophan Supplementation on Productivity, Physiological Indicators, Blood Profiles, and Heat Shock Protein Gene Expression in Lactating Holstein Cows under Heat Stress Conditions. [europepmc]
- Unveiling the Genetic Landscape of Feed Efficiency in Holstein Dairy Cows: Insights into Heritability, Genetic Markers, and Pathways via Meta-Analysis. [europepmc]
- Low crude protein formulation with supplemental amino acids for its impacts on intestinal health and growth performance of growing-finishing pigs. [europepmc]
- Tryptophan metabolism and piglet diarrhea: Where we stand and the challenges ahead. [europepmc]
- Tryptophan Attenuates Chronic Restraint Stress-Induced Intestinal Injury Through Modulation of Intestinal Barrier Integrity and Gut Microbiota Homeostasis. [europepmc]
Related