The Effect of Nucleotides in a Piglet`s Diet

TECH REPORT | Swine
Volume S2 | Issue 2 | Apr. 1, 2016
The Effect of Nucleotides in a Piglet’s Diet
Author: Melina Bonato, Ph.D. (R&D Coordinator, ICC Brazil)
São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Key Points:
• Nucleotides play an important role in several metabolic
processes.
• Ingredients with high digestibility and palatability stimulate
feed intake in weaned piglets.
• Studies illustrate that Hilyses® benefits piglets’ intestinal
epithelium: increasing daily feed intake and body weight
gain, while also improving feed conversion ratio.
Nucleotides, although not considered essential nutrients, play an
important role in several metabolic processes, particularly in some
body tissues and stages of animal development. Free nucleotides
and nucleosides can be readily absorbed by the intestinal enterocytes. They are especially important in tissues that experience
rapid cell proliferation and a limited capacity for synthesis through
via de novo (major route of nucleotides’ production). Examples of
such tissues are: intestinal epithelial cells, blood cells, liver cells
and cells of the immune system. Therefore, they are used by the
salvage pathway, where the body can synthesize nucleotides with
less energy consumption, through the recycling of bases and
nucleotides from the degradation of nucleic acids from dead
cells or from the diet. However, when these endogenous salvage
pathways are insufficient, exogenous nucleotides sources become
semi- essential or “conditionally essential” nutrients (Carver and
Walker, 1995). This especially occurs in animals during rapid
growth and reproductive phases, as well as during stress and
dramatic physiological challenges.
Based on this premise, research has given us a greater
understanding as to the importance of exogenous supplementation
of nucleotides during high demand phases. The early nursery
period is an example of a high demand phase.
The nutrition of weaned piglets is directly linked to diet ingredients’
quality. In this phase, ingredients with high digestibility and high
palatability are used to stimulate feed intake. This is also a period
with high health challenges. Therefore, the benefits of using a
product that enhances intestinal health, strengthens the immune
system, improves the palatability
of the diet, and provides highly
digestible nutrients can be
realized. Hilyses® is an
economically viable option as an
exogenous source of nucleotides.
Hilyses® is produced by ICC Brazil. It is derived from the further
hydrolysis of the RNA content of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast.
Special enzymes are used to further separate the RNA into free
nucleotides and nucleosides. The free nucleotides (single purine or
pyrimidine bases) as well as smaller segments of nucleotides can
be immediately absorbed by enterocytes. Additionally, Hilyses®
provides a source of MOS and high levels of β-glucans, which have
shown pathogen agglutination and immuno-stimulating activities,
respectively.
Two important studies illustrate the benefits of Hilyses® in piglet’s
diets during the nursery phase.
Study 1: Dietary nucleotides (Hilyses®) effects on duodenum
histomorphology parameters of weaned pigs (Andrade et al., 2011).
In this study, 144 21-day-old weaned piglets were distributed in a
completely randomized design. Six treatments were used with 6
replicates of 4 animals. The treatments were: (control diet, control
diet + 40 ppm of colistin sulfate, and control diet + Hilyses® inclusion
rates of: 5, 10, 15 and 20 kg/MT). Two diet formulations: a pre-starter
ration from 21-35 days of age and a starter ration from 36-56 days
of age, were used during the 35-day trial period. At the end of the
study, one animal from each pen was slaughtered to evaluate
intestinal epithelium histomorphometry.
Piglets fed a diet with nucleotides showed an increase in duodenal
villus height:crypt depth ratio (V:C), when compared to those fed
the colistin diet. Also, a linear increase of duodenal V:C and linear
reduction of crypt depth were observed with increasing levels of
nucleotides in the diet. These results show that the addition of up
to 20 kg/MT of Hilyses® improved intestinal epithelium of weaned
piglets (Table 1).
Table 1. Duodenal villus height, crypt depth, villus height:crypt depth duodenal of piglets with 56-day-old piglets.
Parameters
CS1
Hilyses® Levels (kg/MT)
Contrasts2
0
5
10
15
20
C1
C2
C3
CV3 (%)
Villus height (μm)
500.7
517.4
562.9
568.6
519.5
548.8
NS
NS
NS
18.5
Crypt depth (μm)
257.6
245.1
257.3
230.8
212.1
204.8
NS
NS
NS
17.04
1.9
30.3
2.23
2.65
2.45
2.84
NS
NS
<0.01
18.29
V:C4
Colistin sulfate
Orthogonal contrasts: C1 = 0 x CS; C2 = 0 x Hilyses® levels average; C3 = CS x Hilyses® levels average.
3
Coefficient of variation
4
V:C = relationship villi height:crypt depth.
NS = non-significant (P>0.05). Significant linear effect (P<0.01).
1
2
Study 2: Hilyses® supplementation in diets of weaned piglets
and its effects on performance.
This study was conducted at Universidade de São Paulo (USP/
ESALQ), Piracicaba, Brazil, by V. S. Miyada. Thirty-two 21-day-old
weaned piglets were distributed in a completely randomized
design with 2 treatments: a control diet + Avilamycin; a control diet
+ 4 kg/MT Hilyses®. There were 4 replicates for each treatment
and 4 animals in each replicate. Two diet formulations: a pre-starter ration from 21-35 days-of-age and a starter ration from 36-56
days-of-age were used during the 35-day trial period. Performance
parameters were evaluated.
The addition of 4 kg/MT of Hilyses® increased the daily feed intake
(+3.2%), daily body weight gain (+11.2) and improved the feed
conversion ratio (-7.2%) when compared with the control group,
according to Table 2.
These results may be due to the higher amount of nucleotides
which are immediately absorbed by enterocytes and used for several functions in metabolism, including improved intestinal
integrity. When coupled with the MOS and β-glucans mode of
action, the result could be a higher villus area with increased
absorption and utilization of diet’s nutrients. An increase in feed
intake was observed, leading to an increase in body weight gain
and improvement in the feed conversion ratio. Therefore, the
piglets supplemented with Hilyses® can express increased
potential for growth and development as indicated by improved
production parameters.
Table 2. Performance results of weaned piglets
(56 days of age) fed with or without Hilyses®
Parameters
Control1
Hilyses®2
Daily feed intake (kg)
0.221
0.228
Daily weight gain (kg)
0.160
0.178
Feed conversion ratio
1.38
1.28
1
Control group – Basal diet + Avilamycin
Hilyses group – Basal diet + 4 kg/MT of Hilyses®
2
About the Author:
Melina Bonato, PhD, is the Research and
Development Coordinator for ICC Brazil, an
international supplier of animal health products.
Ms. Bonato received her Bachelors of Science,
Masters and PhD in Animal Nutrition and
Production from Universidade Estadual Paulista
Júlio de Mesquita Filho, UNESP, Sao Paulo,
Brazil. She has had 14 peer-reviewed journal
publications to her credit, as well as 67 abstracts and four book
chapters.
References:
ANDRADE, C.; ALMEIDA, V.V.; COSTA, L.B.; BERENCHTEIN, B.; MOURÃO,
G.B.; MIYADA, V.S. Levedura hidrolisada como fonte de nucleotídeos para leitões
recém-desmamados. Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia/Brazilian Journal of Animal
Science, v.40, n.4, p.788-796, 2011.
CARVER, J.D, and WALKER, W.A. The role of nucleotides in human nutrition.
Nutritional Biochemistry. v. 6, pp. 58-72, 1995.
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