Functional amino acids & intestinal health in weaned piglets

Functional amino acids and the relationship with intestinal health in weaned piglets

Enteric diseases in weaned piglets limit the expression of animals’ true genetic potential, by causing negative impacts on the integrity of the intestinal mucosa which impairs its ability to absorb nutrients efficiently(Eriksen et al., 2019).

In most production systems, the prevention and treatment of piglets’ gastrointestinal diseases, is mainly carried out through the use of antibiotics.

Besides their implementation for therapeutic purposes, some antibiotics are used as performance enhancers. This scenario can result in the appearance of pathogenic bacteria that acquire resistance to commonly used active principles. Posing serious health risks for both animals and humans worldwide. This significant health concern has led to bans on antibiotic use in several countries (Albernaz-Gonçalves et al., 2021).

Therefore, different nutritional strategies have been developed to replace antibiotic growth promoters while mitigating the negative effects of enteric diseases on the performance of weaned piglets. Among these, we can highlight the use of functional amino acids such as tryptophan, threonine and glutamate. These help improve intestinal health and consequently, overall productive performance.

This review aims to demonstrate the beneficial effects of functional amino acids such as tryptophan, threonine and glutamine on the intestinal health of weaned piglets.

Weaning and its effects on gut health

Weaning tends to reduce piglet’s immune response, affecting its efficiency and making them more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. Under such conditions of reduced immunological activity, the onset of diseases increases significantly. An example of this, is a higher incidence of gastrointestinal diseases with diarrhea as a major clinical sign. Which hamper zootechnical performance significantly.