Acta Vet. Brno 2010, 79: 67-71
Histological Changes in the Small Intestinal Epithelium in Fattening Pigs Fed Selected Feed Additives
The production experiment was conducted on 48 fattener pigs fed complete diets supplemented with the antibiotic flavomycin (group C), the probiotic Bactocell® (Pedicoccus acidilactici, strain MA18/5M) at the amount of 0.01% in the first and second stage of fattening (group E1), and the prebiotic BIO-MOS® (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, strain 1026) at the amount of 0.1% in the first stage of fattening (group E2). Serial sections of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum were prepared post mortem. Haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical (Ki-67, PCNA) staining procedures were performed. The effect of the feed additives on the morphological characteristics and proliferation capacity of small intestinal crypt epithelium varied when mitotic indices in groups were compared. In comparison with group C, the enterocytes were higher in group E2 in the jejunum (P ⪬ 0.01) and smaller in the ileum (P ⪬ 0.01). Administration of the Ki-67 antibody resulted in fewer positive reactions in the jejunum in group E1 than in group C (P ⪬ 0.01). Enterocyte proliferation in crypt epithelium decreased after the administration of the probiotic or the prebiotic vs. the antibiotic, but the absence of significant differences between the groups may suggest that these feed additives have no adverse effect on the mucosal epithelial cells.
