An investigation was conducted to determine the contribution of the gastrointestinal microbiota to variation in bioefficacy of methionine sources and the interrelationship between intestinal microbiota and cereal grain type with respect to gastrointestinal physiology. Apparent gastrointestinal absorption of DL-methionine (MET) and 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (MHA-FA), post-weaning intestinal morphology, digestive physiology, mucin dynamics and digesta flow were studied in a series of experiments using conventional and gnotobiotic pigs. At 14 d of age, sow - reared conventional (CON) pigs and isolator - reared monoassociated gnotobiotic pigs (EF) were weaned to corn or wheat/barley based diets supplemented with MET or MHA-FA. At 24 d of age, after an overnight fast, pigs were fed experimental diet supplemented with 107 Bq of either 3H-L-MET or 3H-L-MHA-FA per kg of feed and chromic oxide (0.5% wt/wt). Pigs were killed 3 h after consuming the meal to collect digesta and tissue samples from the stomach and along the small intestinal (SI) length. Conventional pigs fed a wheat/barley-based diet had increased (P < 0.05) total aerobes, whereas supplementation with MHA-FA increased (P < 0.05) total aerobes and lactobacilli populations in proximal SI. Among the gnotobiotic pigs, 8 pigs (2 isolators) were monoassociated with a bacteria closely related to <i>Providencia</i> spp. and 16 pigs (4 isolators) were monoassociated with <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> (EF). Species of bacterial contaminant and diet composition did not affect residual MET or MHA-FA in digesta. Decreased (P < 0.05) apparent residual MET in digesta compared with MHA-FA in CON but not monoasscoiated pigs, along with significantly higher (P<0.05) MET associated radioactivity at 5% SI tissue suggested that microbial metabolism of MHA-FA increases its retention in small intestinal digesta and contributes in part to the lower bioefficacy of MHA-FA compared to MET. A comparison of CON and EF pigs showed that wheat/barley diets increased digesta viscosity (<i>P</i> < 0.01) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and tended to decrease (<i>P</i> < 0.07) aminopeptidase N (APN) activity. Monoassociation decreased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) body weight, relative spleen weight, crypt depth, PCNA expression, caspase-3 activity, sucrase expression, total goblet cells in crypts and mucin gene expression and increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) relative SI length, digesta viscosity, villus height, APN and sucrase activity. Interactive effects between cereal grain type and microbial status were observed only as trends (<i>P</i> < 0.1) for PCNA, Muc2, APN and sucrase suggesting these effects were mediated indirectly through microbial changes. Decreased % retained chromic oxide in digesta at all SI locations and no chromic oxide at 95% SI length in monoassociated pigs indicated slower small intestinal transit of digesta in monoassociated pigs. We successfully developed the chromic oxide microassay for estimating chromic oxide in 1/20th of original sample size (2.0 g). Results of this study indicate that microbial metabolism of MHA-FA contributes in part to the lower bioefficacy of MHA-FA compared to MET. Monoassociation had major effects on intestinal physiology whereas limited indirectly mediated effects of cereal type were observed suggesting no major influences of cereal grain type during the short early post-weaning phase.

An investigation was conducted to determine the contribution of the gastrointestinal microbiota to variation in bioefficacy of methionine sources and the interrelationship between intestinal microbiota and cereal grain type with respect to gastrointestinal physiology. Apparent gastrointestinal absorption of DL-methionine (MET) and 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (MHA-FA), post-weaning intestinal morphology, digestive physiology, mucin dynamics and digesta flow were studied in a series of experiments using conventional and gnotobiotic pigs. At 14 d of age, sow - reared conventional (CON) pigs and isolator - reared monoassociated gnotobiotic pigs (EF) were weaned to corn or wheat/barley based diets supplemented with MET or MHA-FA. At 24 d of age, after an overnight fast, pigs were fed experimental diet supplemented with 107 Bq of either 3H-L-MET or 3H-L-MHA-FA per kg of feed and chromic oxide (0.5% wt/wt). Pigs were killed 3 h after consuming the meal to collect digesta and tissue samples from the stomach and along the small intestinal (SI) length. Conventional pigs fed a wheat/barley-based diet had increased (P < 0.05) total aerobes, whereas supplementation with MHA-FA increased (P < 0.05) total aerobes and lactobacilli populations in proximal SI. Among the gnotobiotic pigs, 8 pigs (2 isolators) were monoassociated with a bacteria closely related to <i>Providencia</i> spp. and 16 pigs (4 isolators) were monoassociated with <i>Enterococcus faecium</i> (EF). Species of bacterial contaminant and diet composition did not affect residual MET or MHA-FA in digesta. Decreased (P < 0.05) apparent residual MET in digesta compared with MHA-FA in CON but not monoasscoiated pigs, along with significantly higher (P<0.05) MET associated radioactivity at 5% SI tissue suggested that microbial metabolism of MHA-FA increases its retention in small intestinal digesta and contributes in part to the lower bioefficacy of MHA-FA compared to MET. A comparison of CON and EF pigs showed that wheat/barley diets increased digesta viscosity (<i>P</i> < 0.01) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression (<i>P</i> < 0.001) and tended to decrease (<i>P</i> < 0.07) aminopeptidase N (APN) activity. Monoassociation decreased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) body weight, relative spleen weight, crypt depth, PCNA expression, caspase-3 activity, sucrase expression, total goblet cells in crypts and mucin gene expression and increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) relative SI length, digesta viscosity, villus height, APN and sucrase activity. Interactive effects between cereal grain type and microbial status were observed only as trends (<i>P</i> < 0.1) for PCNA, Muc2, APN and sucrase suggesting these effects were mediated indirectly through microbial changes. Decreased % retained chromic oxide in digesta at all SI locations and no chromic oxide at 95% SI length in monoassociated pigs indicated slower small intestinal transit of digesta in monoassociated pigs. We successfully developed the chromic oxide microassay for estimating chromic oxide in 1/20th of original sample size (2.0 g). Results of this study indicate that microbial metabolism of MHA-FA contributes in part to the lower bioefficacy of MHA-FA compared to MET. Monoassociation had major effects on intestinal physiology whereas limited indirectly mediated effects of cereal type were observed suggesting no major influences of cereal grain type during the short early post-weaning phase.

Durante a fase de crescimento e terminação, 1890 frangos de corte machos da linhagem Cobb®500 foram submetidos a altas temperaturas e alimentados com dietas experimentais contendo três fontes de metionina (DL-Met, DL-HMTBA e DL-Met/ DL-HMTBA), três níveis de vitamina E (15 UI, 45 UI e 100 UI) e duas relações Arg:Lis (0,9 e 1,5), cujo delineamento fatorial 3 x 3 x 2 totalizou 18 tratamentos, com sete repetições de 15 aves cada. Ao final do período experimental, os parâmetros de desempenho zootécnico como consumo de ração, peso corporal, conversão alimentar e rendimento de carcaça, peito e pernas foram avaliados e, após análise estatística, comprovou-se que não houve interação entre os fatores. Dessa maneira, os efeitos individuais dos elementos testados foram analisados e observou-se que a utilização de diferentes fontes de metionina e a inclusão de vitamina E nas quantidades testadas não apresentaram diferenças significativas. Porém, a maior inclusão de arginina na dieta proporcionou melhora nos resultados de ganho de peso, peso corporal e conversão alimentar, mas não resultou em diferenças significativas nos parâmetros de carcaça avaliados. / During the growing and the finishing, 1890 male broiler chickens of Cobb 500 ® were subjected to high temperatures and fed with experimental diets containing three sources of methionine (DL -Met ,DL - HMTBA and DL-Met/DL - HMTBA), three levels of vitamin E (15 IU, 45 IU and 100 IU) and two relations Arg:Lys (0.9 and 1.5), whose factorial design 3 x 3 x 2 totaled 18 treatments with seven replicates of 15 birds each. At the end of the experimental period, the growth performance parameters such as feed intake, body weight, feed conversion and carcass, breast and legs yieldwere evaluated and, after statistical analysis, it was shown that there was no interaction between factors. Thus, the effects of the tested individual elements were analyzed and it was found that the use of different sources of methionine and the inclusion of vitamin E in the amounts tested showed no significant differences. However, the increased inclusion of arginine in the diet improved results in weight gain, body weight and feed conversion, but resulted in no significant differences in carcass parameters.

Durante a fase de crescimento e terminação, 1890 frangos de corte machos da linhagem Cobb®500 foram submetidos a altas temperaturas e alimentados com dietas experimentais contendo três fontes de metionina (DL-Met, DL-HMTBA e DL-Met/ DL-HMTBA), três níveis de vitamina E (15 UI, 45 UI e 100 UI) e duas relações Arg:Lis (0,9 e 1,5), cujo delineamento fatorial 3 x 3 x 2 totalizou 18 tratamentos, com sete repetições de 15 aves cada. Ao final do período experimental, os parâmetros de desempenho zootécnico como consumo de ração, peso corporal, conversão alimentar e rendimento de carcaça, peito e pernas foram avaliados e, após análise estatística, comprovou-se que não houve interação entre os fatores. Dessa maneira, os efeitos individuais dos elementos testados foram analisados e observou-se que a utilização de diferentes fontes de metionina e a inclusão de vitamina E nas quantidades testadas não apresentaram diferenças significativas. Porém, a maior inclusão de arginina na dieta proporcionou melhora nos resultados de ganho de peso, peso corporal e conversão alimentar, mas não resultou em diferenças significativas nos parâmetros de carcaça avaliados. / During the growing and the finishing, 1890 male broiler chickens of Cobb 500 ® were subjected to high temperatures and fed with experimental diets containing three sources of methionine (DL -Met ,DL - HMTBA and DL-Met/DL - HMTBA), three levels of vitamin E (15 IU, 45 IU and 100 IU) and two relations Arg:Lys (0.9 and 1.5), whose factorial design 3 x 3 x 2 totaled 18 treatments with seven replicates of 15 birds each. At the end of the experimental period, the growth performance parameters such as feed intake, body weight, feed conversion and carcass, breast and legs yieldwere evaluated and, after statistical analysis, it was shown that there was no interaction between factors. Thus, the effects of the tested individual elements were analyzed and it was found that the use of different sources of methionine and the inclusion of vitamin E in the amounts tested showed no significant differences. However, the increased inclusion of arginine in the diet improved results in weight gain, body weight and feed conversion, but resulted in no significant differences in carcass parameters.