Lyophilized bovine colostrum as a substitute of goat colostrum and the intestinal epithelium development of goat kids during the period of passive protection acquisition

Author(s)

Débora Botequio Moretti

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2012-03-20

Examining board members

Raul Machado Neto; Severino Matias de Alencar; Marcos Macari; José Fernando Machado Menten; Elisabeth Criscuolo Urbinati

• Advisor: Raul Machado Neto

Abstract

This project was proposed to study the use of lyophilized colostrum as an alternative management for newborn goat kids. Studies related to the acquisition of passive protection and development of the intestinal epithelium, as cytological and histological aspects, cellular activity and expression of the receptor specific for IGF-I (IGF-IR), were performed. At 0, 7 and 14 hours of life, 15 newborn males received 5% of initial weight of lyophilized bovine colostrum (LBC) and 14 goat colostrum (GC), both meals with 55 mg/mL of IgG. Blood samples were collected at 0, 7, 14, 18, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours of life to quantification of immunoglobulin G (IgG), total protein (TP) and insulin like growth factor type I (IGF-I). Samples of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum were collected at 18, 36 and 96 hours of life for analysis using optical microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The activity of extracellular enzymes, quantification of total protein, DNA and RNA and expression of the IGF-IR were also determined. Samples from an additional group (0 h), not suckling, were collected. In LBC group, serum IgG concentrations at 14, 18, 24 and 48 hours were higher than at 0 and 7 hours, while in the GC group, only at 18 hours serum concentration was higher than at 0 and 7 hours (P<0.05). The capacity of IgG absorption decreased between 7 and 14 hours in GC (P<0.05), while in LBC, remained unchanged at these times (P>0.05). The variables TP and IGF-I were not influenced by ingestion of lyophilized bovine colostrum (P>0.05). The indicators of cellular activity, total protein, DNA and RNA concentration, protein/DNA, protein/RNA and RNA/DNA, and the enzyme activity of aminopeptidase N, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, aminopeptidase A, lactase, maltase and sucrase differed in sampling times and in relation to the additional group (P<0.05). Only the rations protein/DNA, protein/RNA in the jejunum and aminopeptidase A activity in the ileum were higher in the LBC group (P<0.05). The acid phosphatase activity was observed in the first hours of life, especially in the duodenum. Regarding the intestinal epithelium morphology and villi density, the supply of lyophilized bovine colostrum did not determine alterations. Changes in enterocytes ultrastructure revealed the presence in the jejunum segment of absorbed material and apical endocytic complex at 0, 18 and 36 hours. In the duodenum, IGF-IR gene expression at birth was higher than at 18 and 36 hours in the GC and LBC (P<0.05). While the expression of this bioactive peptide receptor in the jejunum of the LBC group was higher at 18 and 36 hours relative to 0 h (P<0.05). The results of this work indicate that the alternative source of immunoglobulins, lyophilized bovine colostrum, can be used as a substitute for goat colostrum without significant changes in the acquisition of passive protection and histophysiology characteristics of the small intestine epithelium of goat kids. (AU)