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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #430443
Research Project: Physiological, Microbiological, and Nutritional Mechanisms to Maintain Animal Productivity in the Absence of Antibiotics

Location: Agroecosystems Management Research

Title: Feed restriction minimally affects nursery pig colonic function

Author
item Pearce, Sarah
item Kerr, Brian

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2026
Publication Date: 3/25/2026
Citation: Pearce, S.C., Kerr, B.J. 2026. Feed restriction minimally affects nursery pig colonic function. Journal of Animal Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag099.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag099

Interpretive Summary: This research explores how limiting feed in pigs changes the structure and function of their large intestine. When pigs don’t get enough food due to environmental changes or illness, their gut lining becomes thinner, and the balance of bacteria shifts. These changes can make pigs more vulnerable to disease and reduce their ability to absorb nutrients. This work supports the USDA initiative to protect Americans and our food supply. Understanding how feed restriction affects gut health helps farmers make better decisions during times of limited feed availability or during times of stress which cause limited intake of food. Examples might be droughts, supply chain disruptions, or disease outbreaks. It also supports the initiative to immediately and comprehensively handle animal disease and pest outbreaks by identifying how stress from feed restriction could make pigs more susceptible to infections like highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Feed restriction is sometimes not preventable, but it can harm animal health. This research gives producers and veterinarians the knowledge they need to manage these risks and keep animals and our food supply safe.

Technical Abstract: Reduced feed intake is a hallmark following weaning, many animal diseases, and numerous environmental conditions, and has been shown to cause intestinal barrier dysfunction. Because there are several markers and assays to evaluate intestinal barrier function, feed restriction may present a potential model to validate and compare multiple in vivo, ex vivo, and tissue markers of intestinal integrity. Forty-eight barrows (9.7 kg initial body weight) were fed for 7 d at 100%, 75%, 50% or 25% of expected ad libitum feed intake. Colon tissues were harvested for examination of intestinal function including ex vivo tissue transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), tissue fluorescein isothiocyanate–dextran (FD4) transport, colonic morphology, and gene expression. Data were analyzed as an ANOVA in addition to pre-planned contrasts in which 25 and 50% feed intakes were combined in comparison to 75 and 100% feed intakes. There were no statistical differences between treatments in TEER or FD4 transport due to level of feed intake. However, there was a significant decrease in crypt depth in the colon of pigs fed at 25 and 50% compared to 75 and 100% (11%; P<0.05). Gene expression of CLDN4 tended to decrease at 25 and 75% feeding levels. Gene expression of TLR2 was significantly increased at 25 and 50% compared to 75 and 100% feeding levels (P<0.05) and lysozyme (LYZ) tended to be increased at 25 and 50% compared to 75 and 100% (P<0.10). Twenty-one other genes associated with nutrient transport, immune function, and epithelial barrier function were not found to be different between feeding groups. Overall, there were minimal changes in several markers of intestinal function in the colon of restricted fed nursery pigs.