LOW DOSE OF COPPER IS MORE EFFECTIVE ON INTESTINAL MORPHOLOGY IN WEANED PIGS

The present experiment was carried out to determine the relation between pharmacological levels of copper (Cu) (125 and 200 mg/kg) and source (cooper sulfate (CuSO4) and tribasic copper chloride (TBCC)) on growth performance, diarrhea incidence and intestinal morphology of piglets after weaning. At 21 days of age, 96 weaned piglets were sorted by body weight (BW, 6.14 ± 0.269 kg) and randomly assigned to 4 treatments according to a block design of a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement: level (125 and 200 mg/kg) and source (CuSO4 or TBCC). Growth performance was evaluated by measuring BW, average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 21 to 63 days of age. Fecal score was evaluated daily and at 63 days of age tissue samples were collected from the duodenum, jejunum and ileum for intestinal morphology analysis. At this moment, it was evaluated villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) and villus height to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD ratio). There was no difference between level and source (P>0.05) for any growth performance. Piglets fed 200 mg/kg TBCC had the lowest diarrhea frequency (P<0.05) in overall nursery period than the other treatments during the whole experimental period. Supplementation with 125 mg/kg increased VH (P<0.05) and VH:CD ratio (P<0.05) in the duodenum when compared to 200 mg/kg, regardless of the source. Based on our results, we can conclude that 125 mg/kg of Cu improve the VH and VH:CD ratio in the duodenum and may show growth performance results similar to 200 mg/kg of Cu

Altrenogest during early pregnancy modulates uterine glandular epithelium and endometrial growth factor expression at the time implantation in pigs

This study evaluated the effects of supplying altrenogest from day 6-12 of pregnancy on the endometrial glandular epithelium, corpora lutea (CL) morphology, and endometrial and CL gene expression. A total of 12 crossbred females (Landrace × Large White) were used. The females were assigned to 4 treatments according to a random design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with two categories (sow or gilt) and two treatments (non-treated and treated with altrenogest). On day 6 of pregnancy, animals were allocated to one of the following groups: non-treated (NT, n = 6; 3 sows and 3 gilts), and (T, n = 6; 3 sows and 3 gilts) treated daily with 20 mg of altrenogest, from day 6-12 of pregnancy. All animals were euthanized on day 13 of pregnancy. All CLs were individually weighed, and their volume were determined. The endometrial glandular density (GD), mean glandular area (MGA), and vascular density (VD) were determined by histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses. Endometrium samples were collected and analyzed by qRT-PCR to evaluate the abundance of transcripts for VEGF and IGF-I. Females in the T group had higher MGA (P < 0.05) compared to the NT group. There was no effect of treatment on GD or VD for both experimental groups. Sows in the T group had augmented expression of IGF-I (P < 0.05). Progestagen had no detrimental effect on CL morphology. In conclusion, altrenogest improves the uterine environment during the peri-implantation period in pigs without compromising corpora lutea development

Inclusion of different sources of copper and zinc in the diet of growing and finishing pigs

A inclusão dos minerais cobre (Cu) e zinco (Zn) advindos das fontes tradicionais como sulfato de cobre (CuSO4) e óxido de zinco (ZnO), na dieta de suínos em crescimento e terminação, tem melhorado o desempenho e a qualidade da carne. A utilização de novas moléculas, conhecidas como hidroxicloreto de cobre (CHC) e hidroxicloreto de zinco (ZHC) pode ser tão ou mais eficaz que as tradicionais fontes inorgânicas (CuSO4e ZnO) por reduzirem o estresse oxidativo nos animais in vivo e na carne. Este estudo objetivou avaliar o efeito da cossuplementação de CHC e ZHC no desempenho, frequência de escore fecal normal, qualidade da carne e da carcaça e atividade antioxidante em comparação às fontes inorgânicas tradicionais (CuSO4 e ZnO) na dieta de suínos em crescimento e terminação. Foram utilizados 256 suínos de 70 a 154 dias (d) de idade com 27,70 &#177; 0,33 kg, distribuídos em 4 tratamentos, com oito leitões por baia e oito repetições por tratamento. As dietas foram fornecidas aos suínos em crescimento dos 70 a 112 dias e na terminação dos 112-154 dias de idade. O Cu em baixo nível foi incluído em 100 mg/kg e 90 mg/kg, no crescimento e terminação, respectivamente, e 150 mg/kg em ambos os períodos como nível alto. O zinco foi cossuplementado na dieta em 80 mg/kg e 70 mg/kg, respectivamente, no período de crescimento e terminação. Os animais dos tratamentos T1 e T2 receberam a fonte inorgânica tradicional de ambos os minerais (CuSO4 e ZnO) e os animais dos tratamentos T3 e T4 a fonte hidroxicloreto (CHC e ZHC). A flavomicina foi associada aos tratamentos com baixos níveis de Cu na inclusão de 50g/ton. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com medidas repetidas no tempo. Os animais foram blocados pelo peso e os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância (PROC MIXED) utilizando o SAS. O efeito de tratamento foi analisado pelo teste PDIFF e o nível de significância considerado foi P &#60; 0.05, e P &#8804;0.10 foi considerado como tendência. Os suínos alimentados com a fonte hidroxicloreto apresentaram maior peso vivo aos 154 d, ganho de peso médio diário dos 70 aos 154 d, peso de carcaça quente e fria e maior frequência de dias com fezes normais em comparação aos animais alimentados com alto nível de CuSO4. Os animais que receberam alto nível de CHC apresentaram maior comprimento de carcaça em relação aos demais tratamentos. Não houve diferença entre os tratamentos para a qualidade da carne. Os suínos alimentados com alto nível de CuSO4 apresentaram maior atividade da superóxido dismutase do que os outros tratamentos. Animais alimentados com baixo nível de CHC apresentaram maior formação de malondialdeído em comparação aos demais tratamentos. Em conclusão, a cossuplementação de hidroxicloreto de cobre e de zinco na dieta de suínos de crescimento e terminação melhora o desempenho, as características de carcaça e aumenta a frequência de escore fecal normal.The inclusion of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) minerals from traditional sources such as copper sulfate (CuSO4) and zinc oxide (ZnO) in the diet of grower and finisher pigs has improved the growth performance and meat quality. The use of new molecules known as copper hydroxychloride (CHC) and zinc hydroxychloride (ZHC) can be as or more effective than traditional inorganic sources (CuSO4 and ZnO) for reducing oxidative stress in animals in vivo and meat. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CHC and ZHC co-supplementation on growth performance, normal fecal score frequency, meat and carcass quality, and antioxidant activity compared to traditional inorganic sources (CuSO4 and ZnO) in the diet of grower- finisher pigs. A total of 256 pigs were used from 70 to 154 days (d) old with 27.70 &#177; 0.33 kg, distributed in 4 treatments, with eight pigs in each pen and eight replications per treatment. Diets were provided to grower pigs from 70 to 112 days of age and in the finisher 112-154 days of age. Cu was considered the low level at 100 mg Cu/kg and 90 mg Cu/kg, respectively, and 150 mg Cu/kg in both periods as high level in the grower and finisher periods. Zinc was co- supplemented in the diet at 80 mg/kg and 70 mg/kg, respectively, in the grower and finisher period. Animal from treatments T1 and T2 received the traditional inorganic source of both minerals (CuSO4 and ZnO) and animals from treatments T3 and T4 received the hydroxychloride source (CHC and ZHC). The flavomycin was associated with treatments with low Cu levels in the inclusion of 50g/ton. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with repeated measures. The animals were blocked by weight and the data were submitted to analysis of variance (PROC MIXED) using the SAS. The treatment effect was analyzed by the PDIFF test and the significance level was considered to be P &#60;0.05, and P &#8804;0.10 was considered as a trend. Pigs fed with the hydroxychloride source had higher live weight at 154 d, average daily weight gain from 70 to 154 d, hot and cold carcass weight and higher frequency of days with normal feces compared to animals fed with high content of CuSO4. The animals that received treatment with high level of CHC had the longest carcass length in relation to the other treatments. There was no difference among treatments for meat quality. Pigs fed with high level of CuSO4 showed higher superoxide dismutase activity than the other treatments. Animals fed with low level of CHC showed greater formation of malondialdehyde compared to the other treatments. In conclusion, copper and zinc hydroxychloride co-supplementation in the diet of grower-finisher pigs improves growth performance, carcass characteristics and increases the frequency of normal fecal score

Effects of the association of different copper and zinc sources in the diet of weaned piglets.

Inicialmente o presente estudo objetivou avaliar os efeitos de diferentes fontes de cobre e zinco na dieta de leitões desmamados. Porém, houve a necessidade de utilizar as mesmas fontes e alterar apenas os níveis de inclusão desses minerais, o que justifica o título (que não pôde ser substituído posteriormente). Os leitões recém-desmamados apresentam reduzida digestibilidade de nutrientes pela falta de maturidade do sistema digestório frente à dieta sólida, levando à redução na absorção dos mesmos, e consequentemente diarreia e queda no desempenho. Uma das alternativas utilizadas após o desmame, principalmente com a proibição do uso de antibióticos como promotores de crescimento, tem sido os microminerais, principalmente o zinco (Zn) e o cobre (Cu). Dentre as fontes, o óxido de zinco (ZnO) e o sulfato de cobre (CuSO4) são as comumente utilizadas em níveis farmacológicos, 3000 mg/kg e 250 mg/kg, respectivamente devido ao baixo custo e por melhorar o desempenho, a consistência fecal e a manutenção da integridade intestinal. É possível que leitões suplementados com a associação de CuSO4 e níveis reduzidos de ZnO na dieta apresentem desempenho, frequência de dias com diarreia e morfometria intestinal semelhantes aos leitões suplementados com maiores níveis, e que não ocorra interferência na absorção hepática de Cu e na concentração de Zn na tíbia. Assim, o presente estudo avaliou a associação entre o CuSO4 e o ZnO, em níveis reduzidos, sobre o desempenho, a morfometria intestinal, a frequência de dias com diarreia e a concentração desses minerais no fígado e na tíbia de leitões na fase de creche. Utilizaram-se 80 leitões desmamados aos 21 dias de idade distribuídos em 2 tratamentos, de acordo com as fases: Pré-inicial (21 aos 35 dias): T1, 3000 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4; T2, 2500 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4; Inicial 1 (35 aos 49 dias): T1, 2500 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4; T2, CuSO4; e na Inicial 2 (49 aos 63 dias): T1 e T2, 100 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4, sendo a inclusão de 180 mg/kg CuSO4 em todas as fases. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, sendo a sala e o peso considerados como bloco. A frequência de dias com diarreia foi transformada pela função arco-seno e as características foram submetidas à análise de variância, empregando-se o software SAS (v. 9.3), o nível de significância considerado foi de 5%. Os leitões que receberam menor nível de ZnO apresentaram maior frequência de diarreia dos 35 aos 49 dias de idade (P < 0,05), contudo o desempenho, a morfometria intestinal e a concentração de cobre no fígado foram semelhantes entre os tratamentos. Infere-se que esse resultado foi obtido pela atuação do Zn, Cu e aos cuidados paliativos como o fornecimento de soro via oral e antibioticoterapia terapêutica nos animais com fezes líquidas. Conclui-se que os leitões que receberam reduzida inclusão ZnO, níveis inferiores a 3000 mg/kg, associado a 180 mg/kg de CuSO4 apresentaram maior frequência de dias com diarreia dos 35 aos 49 dias, sem prejuízos no desempenho e na morfometria intestinal, sendo possível a redução de custos e na poluição ambiental.Initially the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of different sources of copper and zinc in the diet of weaned piglets. However, it was necessary to use the same sources and only change the inclusion levels of these minerals, which justifies the title (which couldnt be replaced later). Newly weaned piglets show reduced nutrients digestibility, due to the lack of maturity of the digestive system to the solid diet, leading to a reduction in nutrient absorption and consequently, diarrhea and performance reduction. One of the alternatives used after weaning, especially with the reduction of the use of antibiotics as growth promoters, is the use of microminerals, mainly zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu). Among the sources, zinc oxide (ZnO) and copper sulfate (CuSO4) are commonly used at pharmacological levels, 3000 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg, respectively, due to low cost and to improve performance, fecal consistency and maintenance of intestinal integrity. It is possible that piglets supplemented with the association of CuSO4 and ZnO at reduced levels in the diet show performance, diarrhea frequency and intestinal morphology similar to piglets supplemented with higher levels and that there is no interference on Cu hepatic absorption and Zn concentration in tibia. Thus, the present study evaluated the association between CuSO4 and ZnO at reduced levels on performance, intestinal morphology, frequency of days with diarrhea and concentration on the liver and tibia in piglets during the nursery phase. A total of 80 piglets were weaned at 21 days of age divided into 2 treatments according to the following phases: Pre-starter (21 to 35 days): T1, 3000 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4; T2, 2500 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4; Starter 1 (35 to 49 days): T1, 2500 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4; T2, CuSO4; and in the Starter 2 (49 to 63 days): T1 and T2, 100 mg/kg ZnO + CuSO4, with inclusion of 180 mg/kg of CuSO4 in all phases. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with room and weight considered as blocks. The diarrhea frequency was transformed by the sine function and the characteristics were submitted to analysis of variance using SAS software (v. 9.3). The level of significance was 5%. Piglets receiving lower levels of ZnO had greater diarrhea frequency from 35 to 49 days of age (P < 0.05), however performance, intestinal morphology and Cu concentration in the liver were similar between treatments. Infers that this result was obtained by Zn, Cu and palliative care, such as oral serum supply and therapeutic antibiotic therapy in animals with liquid feces. It is conclude that the piglets that received reduced ZnO inclusion, levels below 3000 mg/kg, associated with 180 mg/kg of CuSO4 showed higher frequency of days with diarrhea from 35 to 49 days, with no impairment in performance and intestinal morphology, enabling possible the reduction of costs and environmental pollution