Effect of riboflavin on intestinal development and intestinal epithelial cell function of weaned piglets

Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin involved in the metabolism of protein, fats and carbohydrates as a coenzyme. Pigs, mainly weaned piglets, are prone to riboflavin deficiency. Therefore, this study devoted to explore the effects of riboflavin on intestinal development and function of weaned piglets. A total of 21 piglets, weaned at day 21 of age, were randomly divided into three treatments. The experiment lasted 28 days. The three treatment groups were administered with 0 mg/kg (L_VB2), 3.5 mg/kg (M_VB2) and 17.5 (H_VB2) mg/kg riboflavin by addition into the dry matter basal diets of each group. During the 28-day trial, the feed conversion ratio of the M_VB2 group was lowest (p < 0.05). Duodenum villus height (VH) and the ratio of VH to crypt depth (VH:CD) in L_VB2 group was significantly lower compared with that in M_VB2 group and H_VB2 group (p < 0.05). In the L_VB2 group the number of Ki67 cells in the crypts of the duodenum was increased significantly (p < 0.05). Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis using transcriptomic data showed that pathways related to apoptosis were significantly enriched in the L_VB2 group (p < 0.01). In addition, pathways related to inflammatory factors were significantly enriched in the H_VB2 group. The total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity (p < 0.05) of the L_VB2 group were lowest. In summary, riboflavin levels may regulate the intestinal morphology of piglet duodenum by affecting the renewal and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells.