Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
08:58
Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
Published on: October 31, 2025
Cysteamine improves growth performance and gastric ghrelin expression in preweaning piglets
1Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P R China.
Domestic Animal Endocrinology
|January 13, 2012
Summary
Dietary cysteamine supplementation improved piglet growth and reduced diarrhea. Cysteamine also increased ghrelin mRNA expression in piglet stomachs, enhancing overall performance.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Preweaning piglet growth is crucial for the swine industry.
- Ghrelin plays a significant role in regulating appetite and growth.
- Cysteamine's impact on piglet growth and gastric gene expression requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the effect of dietary cysteamine on preweaning piglet growth performance.
- To investigate the influence of cysteamine on gastric ghrelin mRNA expression in vivo and in vitro.
Main Methods:
- Piglets were fed a basal diet or a diet supplemented with cysteamine from 15 to 35 days of age.
- Growth performance, feed intake, and diarrhea incidence were monitored.
- Gastric mucosal tissues and cells were analyzed for ghrelin, gastrin, and somatostatin mRNA expression.
Main Results:
- Cysteamine supplementation significantly increased average daily feed intake and body weight gain.
- Dietary cysteamine reduced diarrhea rates in preweaning piglets.
- Cysteamine elevated ghrelin and gastrin mRNA expression while decreasing somatostatin mRNA in gastric mucosa; in vitro studies confirmed increased ghrelin mRNA expression.
Conclusions:
- Dietary cysteamine effectively enhances growth performance and health in preweaning piglets.
- The positive effects of cysteamine are linked to its stimulation of gastric ghrelin mRNA expression.
- Cysteamine shows potential as a feed additive for improving piglet development.
