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Heat Stress induced Damage to Porcine Small Intestinal Epithelium associated with Down-Regulation of Epithelial Growth Factor (EGF) Signaling

Fenghua Liu^,, Jingdong Yin^#, Min Du, Peishi Yan, Jianqin Xu^*,||, Xiaoyu Zhu^* and Jin Yu

College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P. R. China , Department of Animal Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, P. R. China , ^# College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P. R. China , Department of Animal Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA , ^* College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P. R. China ^|| Key Laboratory of Development and Evaluation of the Chemical and Herbal drugs for Animal Use, Ministry of Agriculture, The People’s Republic of China, Beijing 100193

jianqinxucau{at}126.com

Abstract

Extreme heat during certain days of the summer renders pigs susceptible to severe heat stress, which negatively affects their growth performance. We hypothesized that such heat stress impaired the small intestinal mucosa, a site responsible for nutrient absorption. To simulate heat stress, Chinese experimental mini pigs were treated with 5 h of continual 40ºC temperature each day for 10 d in succession. Pigs were euthanized at 1, 3, 6 and 10 d after treatment, and small intestinal epithelium were sampled for histochemical examination and biochemical analyses. The duodenum and jejunum were seriously damaged within 3 d of initiation of treatment. Subsequent study of the process of jejunum recovery showed that the initiation of recovery started within 6 d following heat stress. Such damage was associated with the down-regulation of epithelial growth factor signaling. In conclusion, heat stress induced short-term damage to the epithelium of porcine intestine. Since intestinal epithelium is crucial for nutrient uptake, such damage should partially account for the impairment of growth performance of pigs under heat stress.

Key Words: EGF • gene expression • heat stress • intestinal mucosa • swine