Sodium butyrate in weaning piglets’ diets stimulates intestinal health

Sodium butyrate in diets for weaning piglets plays an important role in restoring intestinal tight junctions. This has an add-on positive effect on maintaining gut integrity.

Tight junctions are protein structures holding the cells in the epithelial wall of the gut together. They protect the body from large (undigested) particles to move across the epithelial barrier, whereby providing protection against inflammation or allergic reactions and therefore upholding gut integrity.
Diarrhoea in weaning piglets is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality.
Feeding sodium butyrate to weaning piglets decreased the incidence of diarrhoea. The mechanism behind this is still not fully understood.

The study of X. Ma, et al. 2012, J. Anim. Sci, evaluated the effect of sodium butyrate on diarrhoea in relation to wound healing of the intestinal barrier using an IPEC-J2 cell model. Cultured cells were scratched to create a lesion and then were subsequently treated with 4mM sodium butyrate.
The research shows that the sodium butyrate significantly supported the wound healing process. This indicates the protective effects of butyrate on the intestinal mucosa. It significantly enhanced the mRNA expression of the intestinal mucosal tight junction. This suggests that the stimulation of the wound healing process by butyrate is related to the maintenance and integrity of the intestinal barrier.

Source: ALLABOUTFEED 29 Jan 2015

Palital’s butyrate concepts

Palital is providing the feed industry with a very extensive butyrate product line. Butyrate not only stimulates gut health. It is also considered to be an important energy source for the villi, and plays a vital role in balancing a healthy intestinal flora. Butyrate promotes healthy growth with the animals, through improved feed efficiency. At the same time, it stimulates the intestinal immune system, whereby improving the protection against pathogens.

In our production facilities we have the capability to manufacture both sodium and calcium butyrate. Both product-lines are either available in deodorized film-coated versions as well as stomach-stable matrix-coated versions. Custom-made combinations, concentrations and appearances complete the butyrate product line.