Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T09:09:50.214Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of postnatal development and weaning upon the capacity of pig intestinal villi to transport alanine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. W. Smith
M. W. Smith
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Council Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Cambridge, CB2 4AT
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The relationship between structure and the ability of piglet intestine to transport alanine has been determined during the first few weeks of postnatal life.

Villus length halved without change in crypt depth during the 3rd week of postnatal life. A similar shortening of villi, accompanied by an increase in crypt depth, took place when 2-week-old piglets were weaned on to a solid diet. Weaning piglets at 3 weeks increased crypt depth without causing further shortening of villi.

Alanine transport was shown, by quantitative autoradiography, to be largely confined to enterocytes in the region of the villus tip. The way in which this transport function developed was analysed further by fitting logistic growth curves to measurements of intra-enterocyte alanine concentration. The ability of enterocytes to transport alanine occurred earlier and alanine was accumulated to higher concentrations in enterocytes studied in 21- compared with 15-day-old unweaned piglets. Weaning piglets on day15 or 21 and measuring alanine transport 5 days later produced a pattern of development similar to that reported previously for adult animals.

Transport of alanine throughout postnatal development showed sodium dependency. Effects of alanine on intestinal short-circuit current of weaned piglets were again similar to those recorded in adult animals.

These results are discussed in terms of intestinal adaptation to a changing environment and in relation to the ‘notional capacity’ of a pig villus to transport amino acids during the early postnatal period of development.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 102 , Issue 3 , June 1984 , pp. 625 - 633
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barker, D. V., Sepúlveda, F. V. & Smith, M. W. (1980). A versatile multi-stirring apparatus used for rapid flux studies in the intestine. Journal of Physiology, London 303, 4–5.Google Scholar
Clarke, R. M. & Hardy, R. N. (1971). Histologioal changes in the small intestine of the young pig and their relation to macromoleoular uptake. Journal of Anatomy 108, 63–77.Google Scholar
Daniels, V. G., Hardy, R. N., Malinowska, K. W. & Nathanielsz, P. W. (1973). The influence of exogenous steroids on macromolecular uptake by the small intestine of the newborn rat. Journal of Physiology 229, 681–695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dauncey, M. J., Ingram, D. L., James, P. S. & Smith, M. W. (1983). Modifiation by diet and environmental temperature of enterocyte function in piglet intestine. Journal of Physiology, London 341, 441–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doell, R. G. & Kretchmer, N. (1964). Intestinal invertase: precocious development of activity after injection of hydrocortisone. Science 143, 42–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doell, R. G., Rosen, G. & Kretchmer, M. (1965). Immunochemical studies of intestinal disaccharidases during normal and precocious development. Proceeding of National Academy of Science, U.S.A. 54, 1268–1273.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galand, G. & Forstner, G. G. (1974). Isolation of microvillus plasma membranes from suckling rat intestine. The influence of premature induction of digestive enzymes by injection of cortisol acetate. Biochemical Journal 144, 293–302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Halliday, R. (1959). The effect of steroid hormones on the absorption of antibody by the young rat. Journal of Endocrinology 18, 56–66.Google Scholar
Henriques De Jesus, C. & Smith, M. W. (1974). Sodium transport by the small intestine of new-born and suckling pigs. Journal of Physiology, London 243, 211–224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kenworthy, R. & Allen, W. D. (1966). Influence of diet and bacteria on small intestinal morphology, with special reference to early weaning and Escherichia coli. Studies with germ free and gnotobiotic pigs. Journal of Comparative Pathology 76, 291–296.Google Scholar
King, I. S., Sepúlveda, F. V. & Smith, M. W. (1981). Cellular distribution of neutral and basic amino acid transport systems in rabbit ileal mucosa. Journal of Physiology, London 319, 355–368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menge, H. & Robinson, J. W. L. (1978). The relationship between the functional and structural alterations in the rat small intestine following resection of varying extents. Research in Experimental Medicine 173, 41–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ministry Of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1983). Code for the welfare of livestock. Leaflet 702. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Moog, F. (1953). The influence of the pituitary-adrenal system on the differentiation of phosphatase in the duodenum of the suckling mouse. Journal of Experimental Zoology 124, 329–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moon, H. W. (1971). Epithelial cell migration in the alimentary mucosa of the suckling pig. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 137 151–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moon, H. W., Kemeny, L. J., Lambert, G., Stark, S. L. & Booth, G. D. (1975). Age-dependent resistance to transmissible gastroenteritis of swine. III. Effects of epithelial cell kinetics on coronavirus production and on atrophy of intestinal villi. Veterinary Pathology 12, 434–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paterson, J. Y. F., Sepúlveda, F. V. & Smith, M. W. (1980). Stoichiometry versus coupling ratio in the cotransport of Na and different neutral amino acids Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 603, 288–297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paterson, J. Y. F., Sepúlveda, F. V. & Smith, M. W. (1982). Distribution of transported amino acid within rabbit ileal mucosa. Journal of Physiology, London 331, 523–535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paterson, J. Y. F. & Smith, M. W. (1983). Tissue deformation in the hamster intestinal villus. Journal of Physiology, London 343, 118–119P.Google Scholar
Sepúlveda, F. V. & Smith, M. W. (1978). Discrimination between different entry mechanisms for neutral amino acids in rabbit ileal mucosa. Journal of Physiology, London 282, 73–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, M. W. (1981). Autoradiographic analysis of alanine uptake by newborn pig intestine. Experientia 37, 868–869.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, M. W. (1983). Postnatal development of alanine uptake by pig intestinal villi. Journal of Physiology, London 343, 78P.Google Scholar
Smith, M. W., Dauncy, M. J. & Ingram, D. L. (1982). Effect of diet and environmental temperature on amino acid absorption by piglet enterocytes. In Digestive Physiology in the Pig (ed. Laplace, J. P., Corring, T. and Rerat, A.), pp. 87–97. Les Colloques de l'INTRA, no. 12.Google Scholar
Smith, M. W., James, P. S. & Paterson, J. Y. F. (1981). Electrical properties of a Na+-dependent amino acid transport system common to different mammalian intestines. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 69 A, 231–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, M. W. & Jarvis, L. G. (1978). Growth and cell replacement in the new-born pig intestine. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London B 203, 69–89.Google ScholarPubMed
Smith, M. W. & Peacock, M. A. (1980). Anomalous replacement of foetal enterocytes in the neonatal pig. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London B 206, 411–420.Google ScholarPubMed