AUTHOR=Zhang He , Xia Pengke , Feng Lufen , Jia Menglan , Su Yong 

TITLE=Feeding Frequency Modulates the Intestinal Transcriptome Without Affecting the Gut Microbiota in Pigs With the Same Daily Feed Intake

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.743343

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2021.743343

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=This study aims to elucidate the impacts of irregular eating patterns on gut microbiota and transcriptomic responses in a pig model with different feeding regimens. Here, twenty-four growing pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Large White, 48 days of age) were randomly allocated to one of three feeding patterns: one-meal (M1), three-meals (M3), or five-meals (M5) per day with the same daily feed intake. Results showed that different feeding frequencies had no significant effects on the microbial composition of ileal digesta, colonic digesta, colon mucosa, as well as the concentration of SCFAs in colonic digesta. Mucosa transcriptomic profiling data showed the pathways related to vitamin metabolism were enriched in ileum and colon of pigs in comparison of M3 vs. M1, the pathways related to lipid metabolism were enriched in ileum and colon of pigs in comparison of M5 vs. M1, the pathways related to protein metabolism were enriched in colon in the three comparisons of M3 vs. M1, M5 vs. M1, and M5 vs. M3, while the ileum were not enriched. Differentially expression genes (DEG) related to metabolism showed that carbohydrate transport was suppressed in ileum and enhanced in colon in M5 and M3 groups compared with M1 group. Compared with M3 group, carbohydrate transport in the ileum was enhanced in M5 group, while in the colon was inhibited. With the increase of feeding frequency, the catabolism, biosynthesis, and transport of lipid in the ileum were suppressed, while those in the colon were enhanced. Compared with M1 group, amino acid transport in the ileum and colon in M3 group was enhanced. Amino acid catabolism in the ileum in M5 group was enhanced compared with M1 and M3 groups. In summary, different feeding frequencies affected the transport of carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid in the ileum and colon, and affected the catabolism and biosynthesis of lipid in the ileum and colon with a low impact on intestinal microbiota.