Adrenal gland gene expression in male pigs from dams fed diets supplemented with algae or fish oil and challenged with LPS in late gestation

Maternal stress occuring during gestation can influence the functioning of the stress and immune responses in offspring. Maternal supplementation with immunomodulatory compounds such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may reduce inflammation associated with maternal stress, promoting offspring health and growth Sows were fed diets supplemented with microalgae or fish oil from gestation day 75 and were challenged with LPS on gestation day 112. Previously, LPS challenge in the male piglets of these sows resulted in differences in fever and cortisol responses among piglets from different maternal treatments. Therefore, the adrenal gland was chosen for microarray analysis to assess the effects of the maternal treatment on the gene expression within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. One male piglet per sow was selected to receive an LPS challenge one week after weaning (28 days of age). Two hours after LPS challenge, piglets were euthanized and adrenal tissue was collected for microarray analysis to assess the effects of maternal diet and LPS challenge on the adrenal transcriptome