The effect of high-level dietary Laminaria digitata on the muscle proteome and metabolome of weaned piglets

The brown seaweed Laminaria digitata, known for its prebiotic qualities, and alginate lyase supplementation, may improve the growth and development of piglets during the critical post-weaning phase. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of 10 % L. digitata and 0.01 % alginate lyase on the proteome and metabolome of the longissimus lumborum muscle in weaned piglets. Findings suggest that the enzyme supplement has a marginal effect on muscle proteome compared to the seaweed diet alone when compared to the control. L. digitata increased the prevalence of proteins related to muscle contraction and structure (such as ACTBL2), while it decreased the presence of glycolytic proteins (like GPI and ALDOC). It also increased the abundance of proteins related to the negative regulation of insulin receptor pathways, such as RABGAP1 and TSC2. Conversely, alginate lyase increased the abundance of proteins associated with fatty acid oxidation (ALOXE3) and calcium balance (WFS1), reflecting the impacts of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower calcium in the diet. As for the muscle metabolome, it remained mostly unchanged by dietary treatments, except for mannitol and threonine, which were enriched as a consequence of seaweed inclusion.