Effect of Dietary Regimen on Cessation of Intestinal Absorption of Large Molecules (Closure) in the Neonatal Pig and Lamb

Abstract

Piglets that nursed the sow were compared with piglets denied food from birth (starved pigs) with respect to their capacity to absorb large molecules from the gut. The testing molecule was polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Nursing piglets lost their capacity to absorb PVP when approximately 24 to 36 hours old, whereas starved pigs still were able to absorb PVP when 86 hours old (oldest pigs tested). It was possible to mimic nursing piglets and produce closure in 24 hours by feeding piglets 300 to 400 ml of cow's colostrum. Similar results were obstained with neonatal lambs in that lambs denied food for 24 and 48 hours were permeable to PVP, bovine proteins and egg proteins at these times. And, lambs fed approximately 1.5 liters of cow's colostrum were unable to absorb PVP and egg proteins when 24 hours old. A 5-day-old nursing lamb denied food for the next two days also did not absorb PVP at 7 days.