Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T19:54:32.411Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adaptability of the digestive function according to age at weaning in the rabbit: I. Effect on feed intake and digestive functionality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

M. Gallois ,
I. Le Huërou-Luron ,
L. Fortun-Lamothe ,
J. P. Lallès  and
T. Gidenne
M. Gallois
Affiliation:
INRA, Université de Toulouse, UMR1289, Tissus Animaux, Nutrition, Digestion, Ecosystème et Métabolisme, Chemin de Borde-Rouge-Auzeville, BP 52627, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France INPT-ENSAT, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France ENVT, F-31076 Toulouse Cedex 3, France
I. Le Huërou-Luron
Affiliation:
INRA, Systèmes d’Elevage Nutrition Animale et Humaine, 35590 St Gilles, France
L. Fortun-Lamothe
Affiliation:
INRA, Université de Toulouse, UMR1289, Tissus Animaux, Nutrition, Digestion, Ecosystème et Métabolisme, Chemin de Borde-Rouge-Auzeville, BP 52627, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France INPT-ENSAT, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France ENVT, F-31076 Toulouse Cedex 3, France
J. P. Lallès
Affiliation:
INRA, Systèmes d’Elevage Nutrition Animale et Humaine, 35590 St Gilles, France
T. Gidenne*
Affiliation:
INRA, Université de Toulouse, UMR1289, Tissus Animaux, Nutrition, Digestion, Ecosystème et Métabolisme, Chemin de Borde-Rouge-Auzeville, BP 52627, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France INPT-ENSAT, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France ENVT, F-31076 Toulouse Cedex 3, France
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The functional adaptability of the digestive system to the level of feed intake was investigated in the young rabbits by comparing two groups of 12 litters each, weaned at 21 (W21) or 35 (W35) days of age. From 14 days onwards, rabbits were fed a pelleted feed (NDF: 332 g/kg, CP: 177 g/kg, starch: 98 g/kg, as-fed basis). Until 49 days of age, the profile of digestive enzymes was weekly determined in the small intestinal content and mucosa, as well as caecal fermentation traits and fibrolytic activities. In the W21 group, the solid feed intake was increased by 57% between 21 and 35 days (P < 0.01), while the daily body growth was lower from 21 till 42 days (−17%, P < 0.05) when compared with the W35 group. Activities of enzymes of pancreatic origin were only scarcely influenced by the weaning age. In the W21 group, amylase activity tended to be lower at 28 days of age (−36%, P = 0.064), and trypsin activity was decreased by 31% at 49 days of age (P < 0.01). Lipase activity was similar in both weaning groups. Duodenal and jejunal activities of maltase and aminopeptidase N (APN) were higher on day 28 in the W21 group as compared with the W35 group (×1.4 to ×2.4, respectively, P < 0.05). On day 35, duodenal APN activity was twice as higher in the W21 group than in the W35 group (P < 0.01). In caecum, major differences between both weaning groups were observed at 28 days of age with a decrease in ammonia concentration (−43%, P < 0.01) in W21 compared with W35 rabbits. Conversely, the acetate proportion was 5% higher in the W21 group (P < 0.01) on day 28. In conclusion, the digestive tract of early-weaned rabbits showed some adaptative properties in response to nutritional environment changes, but they were insufficient to maintain their growth rate.

Keywords

digestive maturationintestinal enzymemicrobial activityrabbitweaning age
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , April 2008 , pp. 525 - 535
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2008

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

Alstin, F, Nilsson, M 1990. Le système d’hydrolyse Soxtec améliore les méthodes officielles de dosage des matières grasses totales. Industries Alimentaires et Agricoles 107, 1271–1274.Google Scholar
Bennegadi-Laurent, N, Gidenne, T, Licois, D 2004. Nutritional and sanitary statuses alter postweaning development of caecal microbial activity in the rabbit. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A 139, 293–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernadac, A, Moreau, H, Verger, R 1991. Gastric lipase and pepsinogen during the ontogenesis of rabbit gastric glands. European Journal of Cell Biology 55, 149–157.Google ScholarPubMed
Catala J 1980. Variations de l’activité de certaines enzymes de la bordure en brosse chez le lapin privé de digestion pancréatique. Proceedings of the 2nd Congress of the World Rabbit Science Association, Barcelona, Spain, pp. 90–98.Google Scholar
Corring, T, Saucier, R 1972. Sécrétion pancréatique sur porc fistulé, Adaptation à la teneur en protéines du régime. Annales de Biologie Animale, Biochimie, Biophysique 12, 233–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corring, T, Lebas, F, Courtot, D 1972. Contrôle de l’évolution de l’équipement enzymatique du pancréas exocrine du lapin de la naissance à 6 semaines. Annales de Biologie Animale, Biochimie, Biophysique 12, 221–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahlqvist, A 1964. Method for assay of intestinal disaccharidases. Analytical Biochemistry 7, 18–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Debray L 2002. Nutrition du lapereau en période de sevrage: interaction avec les besoins nutritionnels de la femelle. Doctoral thesis, Institut National Polytechnique, Toulouse, France.Google Scholar
Debray, L, Le Huérou-Luron, I, Gidenne, T, Fortun-Lamothe, L 2003. Digestive tract development in rabbit according to the dietary energetic source: correlation between whole tract digestion, pancreatic and intestinal enzyme activities. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A 135, 443–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Di Meo, C, Stanco, G, Piccolo, G, Taranto, S, Gazaneo, MP, Nizza, A 2003. Productive performance of rabbits according to pre-weaning solid feed and milk intake. Italian Journal of Animal Science 2, 51–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dojană, N, Costache, M, Dinischiotu, A 1998. The activity of some digestive enzymes in domestic rabbits before and after weaning. Animal Science 66, 501–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
EGRAN, European Group on Rabbit Nutrition 2001. Technical note: attempts to harmonize chemical analyses of feeds and faeces, for rabbit feed evaluation. World Rabbit Science 9, 57–64.Google Scholar
Fortun-Lamothe, L, Gidenne, T, Lapanouse, A, De Dapper, J 2000. Note: an original system to separately control litter and female feed intake without modification of the mother–young relations. World Rabbit Science 8, 177–180.Google Scholar
Gallois, M, Gidenne, T, Fortun-Lamothe, L, Le Huërou-Luron, I, Lallès, JP 2005. An early stimulation of solid feed intake slightly influences the morphological gut maturation in the rabbit. Reproduction, Nutrition, Development 45, 109–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gallois, M, Gidenne, T, Tasca, C, Caubet, C, Coudert, C, Milon, A, Boullier, S 2007. Maternal milk contains antimicrobial factors that protect young rabbits from enteropathogenic E. coli infection. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology 14, 585–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallois, M, Fortun-Lamothe, L, Michelan, AGidenne, T 2008. Adaptability of the digestive function according to age at weaning in the rabbit: II. Effect on nutrient digestion in the small intestine and in the whole digestive tract. Animal 2, 536–547.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gidenne, T 2003. Fibres in rabbit feeding for digestive troubles prevention: respective role of low-digested and digestible fibre. Livestock Production Science 81, 105–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gidenne, T, Fortun-Lamothe, L 2002. Feeding strategy for young rabbit around weaning: a review of digestive capacity and nutritional needs. Animal Science 75, 169–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gidenne, T, Jehl, N, Segura, M, Michalet-Doreau, B 2002. Microbial activity in the caecum of the rabbit around weaning: impact of a dietary fibre deficiency and of intake level. Animal Feed Science and Technology 99, 107–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gidenne T, Debray L, Fortun-Lamothe L and Le Huerou-Luron I 2007. Maturation of the intestinal digestion and of microbial activity: impact of the dietary fibre : starch ratio. Comparative Biochemisty and Physiology, Part A, 148, 834–844.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gutiérrez, I, Espinosa, A, García, J, Carabaño, R, De Blas, JC 2002. Effect of levels of starch, fiber, and lactose on digestion and growth performance of early-weaned rabbits. Journal of Animal Science 80, 1029–1037.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jehl N, Gidenne T and Le Roux JF 1996. Measurement of the bacterial fibrolytic activity in the caecum and in the soft faeces of the rabbit. Proceedings of the 6th World Rabbit Congress, Toulouse, France, pp. 199–203.Google Scholar
Jouany, JP 1982. Volatile fatty acid and alcohol determination in digestive contents, silage juices, bacterial cultures and anaerobic fermentor contents. Sciences des Aliments 2, 131–144.Google Scholar
Keelan, M, Walker, K, Thompson, ABR 1985. Intestinal morphology, marker enzymes and lipid content of brush border membranes from rabbit jejunum and ileum: effect of aging. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development 31, 49–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lainé, J, Beattie, M, LeBel, D 1993. Simultaneous kinetic determinations of lipase, chymotrypsin, trypsin, elastase, and amylase on the same microtiter plate. Pancreas 8, 383–386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lever, M 1977. Carbohydrate determination with 4-hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazide (PAHBAH): effect of bismuth on the reaction. Analytical Biochemistry 81, 21–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marounek, M, Vovk, SJ, Skřivanová, V 1995. Distribution of activity of hydrolytic enzymes in the digestive tract of rabbits. British Journal of Nutrition 73, 463–469.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maroux, S, Louvard, D, Baratti, J 1973. The aminopeptidase from hog intestinal brush border. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 321, 282–295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, C, Michalet-Doreau, B 1995. Variations in mass and enzyme activity of rumen microorganisms: effect of barley and buffer supplements. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 67, 407–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Padilha, MTS, Licois, D, Gidenne, T, Carré, B, Fonty, G 1995. Relationships between microflora and caecal fermentation in rabbits before and after weaning. Reproduction, Nutrition, Development 35, 375–386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perret, JP 1980. Lipolyse gastrique des triglycérides du lait maternel, et absorption gastrique des acides gras à chaîne moyenne chez le Lapereau. Journal of Physiology (Paris) 76, 159–166.Google Scholar
Piattoni, F, Maertens, L, Demeyer, D 1995. Age dependent variation of caecal contents composition of young rabbits. Archives of Animal Nutrition 48, 347–355.Google ScholarPubMed
Piattoni, F, Maertens, L, Mazzoni, D 1999. Effect of weaning age and solid feed distribution before weaning on performances and caecal traits of young rabbits. Cahiers Options Méditerranéennes 41, 85–91.Google Scholar
Pierce, J, Suelter, CH 1977. An evaluation of the coomassie brilliant blue G-250 dye-binding method for quantitative protein determination. Analytical Biochemistry 81, 478–480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rathelot, J, Julien, R, Canioni, P, Coeroli, C, Sarda, L 1975. Studies on the effect of bile salt and colipase on enzyme lipolysis. Improved method for the determination of pancreatic lipase and colipase. Biochimie 57, 1117–1122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia 2001 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 218, 669–696.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scapinello, C, Gidenne, T, Fortun-Lamothe, L 1999. Digestive capacity of the rabbit during the post-weaning period, according to the milk/solid feed intake pattern before weaning. Reproduction Nutrition, Development 39, 423–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, PJ, Robertson, JB, Lewis, BA 1991. Symposium: carbohydrate methodology, metabolism, and nutritional implications in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 74, 3583–3597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verdouw, H, Van Echteld, CJA, Dekkers, EMJ 1978. Ammonia determination based on indophenol formation with sodium salicylate. Water Research 12, 399–402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xiccato G, Trocino A, Sartori A and Queaque PI 2000. Early weaning of rabbits: effect of age and diet on weaning and post-weaning performance. Proceedings of the 7th World Rabbit Congress, Valencia, Spain, pp. 483–490.Google Scholar
Xiccato, G, Trocino, A, Sartori, A, Queaque, PI 2003. Effect of weaning diet and weaning age on growth, body composition and caecal fermentation of young rabbits. Animal Science 77, 101–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar