Maternal sodium butyrate supplementation during mid-to-late gestation enhances antioxidant capacity and reduces inflammation in piglets

Sodium butyrate (NaB) has been shown to enhance maternal antioxidant defences and improve reproductive outcomes; however, its long-term impact on offspring health requires further investigation. Our present study examined the effects of maternal dietary NaB supplementation during gestation on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses in neonatal and weaned piglets. Pregnant Landrace × Yorkshire sows were fed with a standard gestation diet supplemented with (NaB group) or without (control group) 0.2% NaB from gestational day 30 to day 114, while receiving the same diet during lactation. Serum and tissue samples were collected from newborn piglets at birth and from weaned piglets at weaning. Oxidative stress and inflammatory markers were quantified in sow placenta, as well as in the serum and intestinal tissues of piglets. Results showed that gestational NaB supplementation significantly increased the total antioxidant capacity and elevated the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in sow placenta (P < 0.05). Besides, catalase content (P = 0.073) and the mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) (P = 0.051) and gutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) (P = 0.069) also tended to be higher in the placenta of the NaB group. Maternal NaB supplementation significantly increased serum catalase activity, decreased serum malondialdehyde concentration, and upregulated ileal GPX3 and GPX4 expression in newborn piglets (P < 0.05). In weaned piglets, maternal NaB supplementation decreased serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while increasing jejunal relative weight, villus height and villus-to-crypt ratio (P < 0.05). Additionally, jejunal expression of G-protein coupled receptor 41 (GPR41) and Claudin 1 was markedly higher in the weaned piglets of NaB group than those in control group (P < 0.05). Collectively, these findings suggest that NaB supplementation during mid-to-late gestation could improve placental function in sows, which is associated with enhanced antioxidant capacity, attenuated inflammation, and improved intestinal development in the offspring.