Tributyrin administration improves intestinal development and health in pre-weaned dairy calves fed milk replacer

摘要

Butyrate and its derivatives possess various nutritional and biological benefits for mammals,whereas its effects on dairy calves have not been well characterized.This study evaluated the effects of tributyrin administration on blood immune,intestinal immune and barrier functions,and microbial composition of pre-weaned dairy calves.Twenty newborn Holstein bull calves were randomly assigned into a control group(no tributyrin supplementation,CON;n=10)or a treatment group(supplemented with tributyrin at 2 g/L of milk,TRB;n=10).The results showed that diarrhea frequency was decreased significantly by tributyrin administration from d 29 to 56(P3.5,P<0.05),which was negatively associated with inflammatory gene expression(TLR2 and IL-1b)but positively associated with intestinal barrier genes(claudin-4)and morphological parameters(P<0.05).In conclusion,supplementing tributyrin in milk replacer could improve intestinal development and health of pre-weaned dairy calves by stimulating SCFA-producing bacteria colonization,enhancing intestinal barrier functions and suppressing inflammatory responses.