Screening the impact of fermentable feed ingredients on the intestinal health of weaned piglets via an in vitro and ex vivo model

Abstract

The purpose this thesis is to study the effect of fermentable feed ingredients on the intestinal health of weaned piglets via an in vitro fermentation model combined with an ex vivo model on intestinal explants.

This work will focus on two different pools of ingredients. The first pool will focus on chicory, it’s corresponding by-products and purified fractions. The same principle will be applied to the second pool that is composed out of oat and barley.

All the feed ingredients are going to be tested by an in-vitro model combined with an ex-vivo model. The aim of those experiments is to determine whether barley, oat, chicory or by-products could have a close effect on intestinal health corresponding to their purified fraction.

First, an in vitro fermentation will be performed using weaned piglets' feces. The aim is to measure the resulting gas production and to collect fermentation fluids. Based on these fermentation juices, we can measure the concentration in volatile fatty acids by HPLC but also estimate the relative amount of butyrogenic species by PCR. These fermentation juices will also be used during the ex vivo procedure.

The ex vivo model will consist in inducing an inflammation (via LPS of E. Coli) in weaned piglets' intestinal explants and see if the applied fermentation juices are able reduce inflammation. For that, cytokines, tight junctions and mucins mRNA levels will be analysed by qRT-PCR.

Based on the in vitro - ex vivo model analyses, we can thereafter select which fermentable feed ingredients are the most suitable for the in vivo trial on weaned piglets.