Dietas de leitões desmamados e suplementadas com larginina e produto lácteo sobre a digestibilidade e expressão gênica intestinal

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the digestibility of nutrients in diets containing or not whole milk powder and L-arginine and intestinal gene expression for weaned piglets. Thirty-two piglets with an average weight of 5,159 kg ± 1,919 commercial strains (Embrapa MS115 X Topigs®) were used. The animals were distributed in a randomized block design to control initial differences in live weight, using a 2x2 factorial scheme, with two diets (with and without whole milk powder) and two levels of on top supplementation of L-arginine in the diet ( 0% and 0.6%), in four treatments with four repetitions, each reproduction being related to two animals. The experimental diets were included in DS - Basal diet consisting of corn and soybean meal; DSA – Basal diet supplemented with L-Arginine on top, 27% above the recommended by Rostagno et al. (2017); DL- Basal diet containing powdered milk; DLA- Basal diet containing powdered milk and supplemented on top with L-Arginine. The total apparent digestibility of nutrients and energy was evaluated from the digestibility test using partial collection with celite® as an indicator. The digestibility coefficient of nutrients and the digestible energy of the diet were higher when the animals were fed diets containing powdered milk, while those fed the diet without powdered milk added with arginine had lower values of dry matter digestibility coefficient. Regarding digestible nutrients, the addition of powdered milk improved the digestibility of nutrients, and supplementation of the simple on top diet with arginine decreased digestible organic matter and digestible energy. Claudin and occludin gene expression increased in the jejunum of animals fed a diet with powdered milk, and firm inclusion protein 2 gene expression decreased in animals fed a diet supplemented on top with arginine. Expression of the neutral amino acid transporter gene, CAT1, was not altered by diet or L-Arginine supplementation. Supplementation on top of diets containing whole milk powder showed no beneficial effect on digestibility or expression of gut barrier genes.