Effect of weaning on small intestinal structure and function in the piglet

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Gastroenterology
• Immunology

Background:

• Weaning age significantly influences piglet development and intestinal health.
• Early weaning can lead to reduced villous height and altered immune responses in the small intestine.
• Goblet cells (GC) and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) are key indicators of intestinal health and immune status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of different weaning ages (17, 21, 28, and 35 days) on small intestinal villus morphology, immunology, and histochemistry in piglets.
• To determine the impact of post-weaning age on these parameters across various segments of the small intestine.
• To assess the role of weaning age on intraepithelial lymphocyte and goblet cell populations.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-four piglets from 12 litters were assigned to four weaning age treatments.
• Intestinal samples from duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were collected at specific time points post-weaning.
• Analysis included villous height, crypt depth, intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) number, and goblet cell (GC) number.

Main Results:

• Villous height decreased significantly in the duodenum and proximal jejunum with early weaning (17 and 28 days).
• Crypt depth was reduced in the duodenum, proximal jejunum, and ileum in the earliest weaned group (17 days).
• Intraepithelial lymphocyte numbers were highest in the 28-day weaned group and lowest in the 21-day weaned group, while goblet cell numbers increased with earlier weaning.

Conclusions:

• Weaning age significantly impacts small intestinal morphology and immune cell populations in piglets.
• Early weaning (<21 days) leads to detrimental changes in villous height and crypt depth, but increases goblet cell numbers for protection.
• Providing fluid milk replacer post-weaning can ameliorate negative effects, particularly for piglets weaned before three weeks of age.