Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T07:21:58.410Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Changes in digestive enzyme activity, intestine morphology, mucin characteristics and tocopherol status in mink kits (Mustela neovision) during the weaning period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2010

M. S. Hedemann ,
T. N. Clausen  and
S. K. Jensen
M. S. Hedemann*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Aarhus University, PO Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
T. N. Clausen
Affiliation:
Danish Fur Breeders Research Center, Herningvej 112C, 7500 Holstebro, Denmark
S. K. Jensen
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Health and Bioscience, Aarhus University, PO Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Weaning of livestock mammals is often associated with digestive problems related to profound changes in the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract. This study was undertaken to study the developmental changes in the gastrointestinal tract of mink kits during the period of 34 to 59 days of age. Twenty-four mink kits from eight litters were included in the experiment. The dams and their litters were kept under standard farm conditions. The dams and the kits were fed a diet consisting of 48.1% protein, 40.7% fat and 11.1% carbohydrate of metabolizable energy. The mink kits were weaned at 42 days of age. At 34, 47 and 59 days of age, one male mink kit from each litter was euthanized. The activity of amylase, trypsin, chymotrypsin and lipase in the pancreatic tissue increased during the experimental period, whereas the activity of carboxyl ester hydrolase remained constant. The vitamin E concentration in plasma was stable from 34 to 59 days of age, whereas the concentration decreased in the liver. The stereochemical composition of α-tocopherol showed a steep decrease in the concentration of the biologically most active natural isomer in both plasma and liver through the whole weaning period, whereas the biologically less active 2S isomers showed a clear increase. The concentration of bile salts did not change during the experimental period. The villous height increased in the proximal part of the small intestine and decreased in the distal part, whereas the crypt depth was doubled in both the proximal and distal part of the small intestine. The mucin-staining area on the villi was markedly reduced during the experimental period but no change in the mucin-staining area in the crypts was observed.

Keywords

minkdigestive enzymeintestinal morphologymucintocopherol
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , March 2011 , pp. 394 - 402
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

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

Bjørnvad, CR, Elnif, J, Sangild, PT 2004. Short-term fasting induces intra-hepatic lipid accumulation and decreases intestinal mass without reduced brush-border enzyme activity in mink (Mustela vison) small intestine. Journal of Comparative Physiology B-Biochemical Systemic and Environmental Physiology 174, 625–632.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brannon, PM 1990. Adaptation of the exocrine pancreas to diet. Annual Review of Nutrition 10, 85–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, PJ, Miller, BG, Stokes, CR, Blazquez, NB, Bourne, FJ 1988. Histochemistry of mucins of pig intestinal secretory epithelial cells before and after weaning. Journal of Comparative Pathology 98, 313–323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruininx, EMAM, Schellingerhout, AB, Lensen, EGC, Peet-Schwering, CMC, Schrama, JW, Everts, H, den Hartog, LA, Beynen, AC 2002. Associations between individual food intake characteristics and indicators of gut physiology of group-housed weanling pigs differing in genotype. Animal Science 75, 103–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brunsgaard, G 1997. Morphological characteristics, epithelial cell proliferation, and crypt fission in cecum and colon of growing pigs. Digestive Diseases and Sciences 42, 2384–2393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buddington, RK, Elnif, J, Malo, C, Donahoo, JB 2003. Activities of gastric, pancreatic, and intestinal brush-border membrane enzymes during postnatal development of dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research 64, 627–634.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cebra, JJ 1999. Influences of microbiota on intestinal immune system development. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69, 1046S–1051S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cranwell, PD 1995. Development of the neonatal gut and enzyme systems. In The neonatal pig. Development and survival (ed. MA Varley), pp. 99–154. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Dahlqvist, A 1968. Assay of intestinal disaccharidases. Analytical Biochemistry 22, 99–107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elnif, J, Sangild, PT 1996. The role of glucocorticoids in the growth of the digestive tract in mink (Mustela vison). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 115A, 37–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elnif, J, Hansen, NE, Mortensen, K, Sørensen, H 1988. Production of digestive enzymes in mink kits. In Biology, pathology and genetics of fur bearing animals. Proceedings of the IV international congress in fur animal production (ed. BD Murphy and DB Hunter), pp. 320–326. Ontario, Canada.Google Scholar
Hampson, DJ 1986. Attempts to modify changes in the piglet small intestine after weaning. Research in Veterinary Science 40, 313–317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harper, EJ, Turner, CL 2000. Age-related changes in apparent digestibility in growing kittens. Reproduction Nutrition Development 40, 249–260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hedemann, MS, Jensen, SK 1999. Vitamin E status in newly weaned piglets is correlated to the activity of carboxylester hydrolase in pancreatic tissue. In Manipulating pig production VII. Proceedings of the seventh Biennial Conference of the Australasian Pig Science Association (ed. PD Cranwell), p. 181. Australasian Pig Science Association, Werribee, Victoria, Australia.Google Scholar
Hedemann, MS, Jensen, BB 2004. Variations in enzyme activity in stomach and pancreatic tissue and digesta in piglets around weaning. Archives of Animal Nutrition 58, 47–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hedemann, MS, Højsgaard, S, Jensen, BB 2003. Small intestinal morphology and activity of intestinal peptidases in piglets around weaning. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 87, 32–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hedemann, MS, Theil, PK, Bach Knudsen, KE 2009. The thickness of the intestinal mucous layer in the colon of rats fed various sources of non-digestible carbohydrates is positively correlated with the pool of SCFA but negatively correlated with the proportion of butyric acid in digesta. British Journal of Nutrition 102, 117–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hernell, O, Bläckberg, L 1994. Molecular aspects of fat digestion in the newborn. Acta Paediatrica Supplement 405, 65–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, MS, Gabert, VM, Jørgensen, H, Engberg, RM 1997a. Collection of pancreatic juice from growing pigs – A comparative study of the pouch method and the catheter method. International Journal of Pancreatology 21, 173–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, MS, Jensen, SK, Jakobsen, K 1997b. Development of digestive enzymes in pigs with emphasis on lipolytic activity in the stomach and pancreas. Journal of Animal Science 75, 437–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, SK, Lauridsen, C 2007. α-Tocopherol Stereoisomers. In Vitamin E, Vitamins & Hormones (ed. G Litwack), vol. 76, pp. 281–308. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA.Google Scholar
Jensen, SK, Engberg, RM, Hedemann, MS 1999. All-rac-α-Tocopherol acetate is a better vitamin E source than all-rac-α-Tocopherol Succinate for Broilers. Journal of Nutrition 129, 1355–1360.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, SK, Hansen, MU, Clausen, TN 2004. Vitamin E to mink females and its transfer to kits. Annual Report 2004. Danish Fur Breeders Research Center, Holstebro, Denmark, 61–67pp.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, G 1985. Mink production. Scientifur, Hillerød, Denmark.Google Scholar
Kiernan, JA 1990. Histological and histochemical methods. Theory and practice, 2nd edition. Pergamon Press, Oxford, UK.Google Scholar
Knarreborg, A, Lauridsen, C, Engberg, RM, Jensen, SK 2004. Dietary antibiotic growth promoters enhance the bioavailability of α-Tocopheryl acetate in broilers by altering lipid absorption. Journal of Nutrition 134, 1487–1492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lærke, HN, Hedemann, MS, Hejlesen, C 2004. Physico-chemical properties of carbohydrates and their effect on digestion in mink. Annual Report 2004. Danish Fur Breeders Research Centre, Holstebro, Denmark, 151–159pp.Google Scholar
Lærke, HN, Hedemann, MS, Hejlesen, C 2006. Physico-chemical properties of fibre-rich feedstuffs and their effect of digestion in the gut of mink. Annual Report 2005. Danish Fur Breeders Research Centre, Holstebro, Denmark, 99–106pp.Google Scholar
Lauridsen, C, Hedemann, MS, Jensen, SK 2001. Hydrolysis of tocopheryl and retinyl esters by porcine carboxyl ester hydrolase is affected by their carboxylate moiety and bile acids. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 12, 219–224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lauridsen, C, Jensen, SK 2005. Influence of supplementation of all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate preweaning and vitamin C postweaning on α-tocopherol and immune responses of piglets. Journal of Animal Science 83, 1274–1286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Le Huerou-Luron, I, Guilloteau, P, Wicker-Planquart, C, Chayvialle, JA, Burton, J, Mouats, A, Toullec, R, Puigserver, A 1992. Gastric and pancreatic enzyme activities and their relationship with some gut regulatory peptides during postnatal development and weaning in calves. Journal of Nutrition 122, 1434–1445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Motohashi, Y, Fukushima, A, Kondo, T, Sakuma, K 1997. Lactase decline in weaning rats is regulated at the transcriptional level and not caused by termination of milk ingestion. Journal of Nutrition 127, 1737–1743.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakamura, YK, Omaye, ST 2009. Vitamin E-modulated gene expression associated with ROS generation. Journal of Functional Foods 1, 241–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orban, JI, Harmon, BG 2000. Effect of bile supplementation on fat digestion in early weaned pig diets. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/swine/swineday/sday00/4.pdfGoogle Scholar
Pluske, JR, Hampson, DJ, Williams, IA 1997. Factors influencing the structure and function of the small intestine in the weaned pig: a review. Livestock Production Science 51, 215–236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sangild, PT, Elnif, J 1996. Intestinal hydrolytic activity in young mink (Mustela vison) develops slowly postnatally and exhibits late sensitivity to glucocorticoids. Journal of Nutrition 126, 2061–2068.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skrede, A 1978. Utilization of fish and animal by-products in mink nutrition. 3. Digestibility of diets based on different cod (Gadus-Morrhua) fractions in mink of different ages. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 28, 141–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Specian, RD, Oliver, MG 1991. Functional biology of intestinal goblet cells. American Journal of Physiology 260, C183–C193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed