Effect of exogenous butyrate on the gastrointestinal tract of sheep. I. Structure and function of the rumen, omasum, and abomasum1. (5th October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Górka, Paweł; Śliwiński, Bogdan; Flaga, Jadwiga; Olszewski, Jarosław; Wojciechowski, Marcin; Krupa, Klaudia; Godlewski, Michał M; Zabielski, Romuald; Kowalski, Zygmunt M
• Is Part Of: Journal of animal science. Volume 96:Number 12(2018)
• Page Start: 5311
• Page End: 5324
• Publication Date: 2018-10-05
• Subjects: absorption -- digestion -- gastrointestinal tract -- ruminant -- stomach; Livestock -- Periodicals; Livestock; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 636.005
• DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky367
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-8812

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of exogenous butyrate on the structure and selected functions of the stomach in sheep. Eighteen rams (30.8 ± 2.1 kg; 12 to 15 mo of age) were allocated to the study and fed a diet for 14 d without (CTRL ) or with sodium butyrate (BUT ; 36 g/kg of offered DM). Neither DMI nor initial BW differed between treatments ( P ≥ 0.61), but final BW was greater for BUT compared with CTRL ( P = 0.03). Butyrate concentration in the reticuloruminal fluid and abomasal digesta was greater for BUT compared with CTRL ( P ≤ 0.01), but total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA ) concentration, as well as concentration of other SCFA, did not differ between treatments ( P ≥ 0.07). Relative to BW, reticuloruminal tissue mass tended ( P = 0.09) to be greater and omasal digesta was less ( P = 0.02) for BUT compared with CTRL. Dietary butyrate did not affect ruminal papillae length, width, and density nor did it affect ruminal epithelium thickness ( P ≥ 0.12) in the ventral sac of the rumen. However, the DM of ruminal epithelium (mg/cm 2 ) tended ( P = 0.06) to be greater for BUT compared with CTRL. Omasal and abomasal epithelium thicknesses were greater ( P ≤ 0.05) for BUT compared with CTRL. Mitosis-to-apoptosis ratio in the abomasal epithelium was less for BUT compared with CTRL ( P = 0.04). Finally, the mRNA expression of peptide transporter 1 in the omasal epithelium was less ( P = 0.02) and mRNA expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 in the abomasal epithelium tended ( P = 0.07) to be greater for BUT compared with CTRL. It can be concluded that exogenous butyrate supplementation affected not only the rumen but also omasum and abomasum in sheep.