Dietary milk fat globule membrane supplementation during late gestation increased the growth of neonatal piglets by improving their plasma parameters, intestinal barriers, and fecal microbiota.

Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), mainly comprising protein and fat, has been reported to have multiple biological functions for relieving intestinal inflammation and enhancing growth performance. We hypothesized that MFGM supplementation into sows' diet during late gestation can have a positive impact on the intestinal microecology of sows and their piglets, as well as on the growth of neonates. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate such effects and their potential mechanisms. Twenty-two pregnant sows were selected and randomly divided into the CON group (basal diet) and MFGM group (basal diet supplemented with 9.9 g per day MFGM). The feeding period began from d 85 of gestation and until farrowing. The concentrations of albumin (ALB), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in plasma and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces of sows from the MFGM group were determined. The concentrations of growth hormone (GH), immunoglobulin A (IgA), glucose (GLU), and NEFA in the umbilical cord blood in the MFGM group were significantly higher than those in the CON group. Piglets from the MFGM group showed improved growth performance, increased villus height in the jejunum, decreased crypt depth in the duodenum and jejunum, upregulated mRNA expressions of tight junctions (namely, Occludin; Claudin-1, Claudin-2, and Claudin-4; zonulin-1 (ZO-1)); mucins such as Mucin 2, Mucin 4, Mucin 13, and Mucin 20; and immune-related genes, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (INF-γ), interleukin-22 (IL-22), toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). In addition, the abundance of