Effects Of EGF On Blood Biochemistry,Amino Acid Composition,Antioxidant And Immune Function Of Piglets

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of epidermal growth factor(EGF)on intestinal antioxidant capacity,barrier function,inflammatory response,immune status and serum biochemical index,serum free amino acids,intestinal mucosal amino acids contents in weaning piglets at 21 day.Forty-two healthy piglets with similar body weight were weaned at 21 d of age and randomly assigned into 3 groups consisting of a basal diet(GroupI)or the basal diet with 200(GroupII)or 400(GroupIII)?g/kg EGF.Each group was assigned to 14 pens(1 piglets/pen)for a 14-day period.Seven piglets were randomly selected from each group for blood and tissue sampling at 7 and 14 day post-weaning,respectively.The results showed that dietary EGF supplementation increased(P < 0.05)the concentration of serum immunoglobulin A(IgA)and tended to increase(P<0.10)the mRNA expression of claudin-1.However,this addition decreased(P < 0.05)malondialdehyde(MAD)content and tended to reduce(P < 0.10)the mRNA expression of corticotropin-releasing factor 2(CRF2)when compared with the control group.In addition,the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and phosphorylation level of the nuclear transcription factor NF?B p65 were higher(P<0.05)for piglets fed EGF diet during the entire experimental period.The results showed that,compared with groupI on day 7,serum uric acid contentin groupIII was significantly increased(P<0.05),while serum IgA content in groupII and III was significantly decreased(P< 0.05).Compared with the groupI,serum creatinine content was significantly decreased(P<0.05)in groupIII,and the AST/ALT in groupIII was significantly lower(P<0.05)than that in group I and II on day 14.Dietary supplementation with EGF had no significant effects on serum urea,glucose,aspartate aminotransferase,alanine aminotransferase,total protein,albumin,globulin,albumin/globulin,IgM,IgG,insulin-like growth factor-I and growth hormone in weaning piglets.On day 7,serum histidine,citrulline and taurine contents in group II were significantly lower than those in groupIII(P<0.05),and serum arginine,glutamate and serine in groupII were significantly lower(P<0.05)than those in groupI and III.Compared with groupI and groupIII,the contents of jejunal valine and ileal cysteine in groupII were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and serine,glutamic acid,alanine,cysteine,isoleucine,phenylalanine and histidine contents in jejunal mucosa of groupII tended to be decreased(P<0.1).These results indicated that EGF enhanced intestinal antioxidant capacity,improved barrier function,and increased immune response In conclusion,dietary supplementation with EGF can regulate the immune function and amino acids metabolismor protein turnover in weaning piglets.