Evaluation of intestinal response to zinc restriction and zinc sources in pigs

We evaluated the intestinal responses of pigs under zinc restriction and under different zinc sources through RNA-seq of ileal samples. We identified changes in genes related to zinc transport, immune response, cell proliferation, DNA damage and stress resposne. Our findings demonstrate that swine intestine is responsive to zinc restriction and can be a model sentinel tissue for human zinc deficiency. Further research is needed to define the intestinal responses to organic and inorganic zinc sources. Overall design: RNA seq of ileum of zinc restricted pigs and pigs supplemented with 100 ppm and 50 ppm of zinc by organic and inorganic zinc sources. n=7 for ZnR group, n=8 ZnCl100, ZnCl50, LQ100 groups, n=9 for LQ50 group Finisher pigs (77.5± 2.5 kg) were randomly assigned to one of the five diets: a diet without added zinc (ZnR), ZnR with either 50 ppm or 100 ppm of zinc supplemented from organic (LQ100, LQ50) and inorganic sources (ZnCl100, ZnCl50).