Suplementação de butirato para prevenção de diarreia e no desenvolvimento gastrointestinal e corporal de bezerros leiteiros

Abstract

The first weeks after birth are marked by several adaptations in the ruminant organism, one of them, if not the main one, is the development of the gastrointestinal tract, which is essential for rapid body growth as well as for the development of resistance against diseases, especially the gastrointestinal ones. The present study aimed to evaluate the ability of sodium butyrate to stimulate the development of the gastrointestinal tract and prevent diarrhea in dairy calves. For this, 124 Holstein animals were divided into two groups: GB - Butyrate - which received Sodium Butyrate in whole milk for 90 days, in addition to concentrate ad libitum (50 females and 12 males, n=62), and GC - Control - fed the same diet, but with unsupplemented whole milk (50 females and 12 males, n=62). The consistency of the feces was evaluated daily for the first 30 days and the animals were monitored for the occurrence of diarrhea, and its morbidity, recurrence, mortality and lethality were determined. Growth was evaluated during the first 60 days of life (D1, D8, D15, D22, D29, D45, D60), and at 90 days (weaning). Histological and gene expression evaluations of the gastrointestinal tract were performed from samples collected from males euthanized at 15 and 30 days of age. The results showed that butyrate supplementation in milk reduced morbidity (GB = 30% vs. GC = 50%) and recurrence (GB = 26,67% vs. GC = 60%) of neonatal diarrhea, in addition to the number of days with abnormal feces, compared to the non-supplemented group (GB = 4.64 ± 0.47 days vs. GC = 8.6 ± 0.65 days). Supplementation also influenced the average daily gain (ADG), which tended to be greater at 30 days (GB = 0.441 ± 0.018 vs. CG = 0.394 ± 0.018) and at 60 days of life (GB = 0.555 ± 0.016 vs. GC = 0.516 ± 0.016). In addition, TGI morphometry at 30 days revealed greater length (GB = 560.92 ± 10.28 µm vs. GC = 388.67 ± 10.28 µm) and greater surface area (GB = 0.276 ± 0.008 mm2 vs. GC = 0.184 ± 0.008 mm2 ) of rumen papillae in the supplemented animals. In the duodenal portion of the intestine, the length of the villi (GB = 488.14 ± 4.76 vs. GC = 446.87 ± 4.76 µm) and the depth of the crypts (GB = 254.96 ± 2.75 µm vs GC = 231.32 ± 2.75 µm) were greater in GB. When comparing the results of the analysis of duodenal expression of the LCT and GLP2 genes of 30-day-old animals that had an episode of diarrhea (GB and GC - with diarrhea) with those of animals that did not have episodes (GB and GC - without diarrhea), it was possible to observe that the transcription levels in the GB with diarrhea were similar to those found in the GB and GC groups without the disease. Taken together, these results allow us to conclude that continuous supplementation with sodium butyrate improves gastrointestinal development, reduces the occurrence of diarrhea and makes clinical conditions milder and recovery faster. All these factors tend to favor a greater ADG in the first 60 days of life, being an interesting alternative to accelerate the initial development and improve the health of dairy calves.