Fibre composition in sow diets influences bile acid profile in colostrum and in intestinal digesta of their new-born suckling piglets

Dietary fibre can modify colostrum and milk composition in sows. Bile acids (BA) aid in fat digestion and lipid absorption and are important signalling molecules for the digestive tract. The aim of this study was to determine BA concentration in colostrum from sows fed two different sources of dietary fibre during gestation and lactation and from the intestinal digesta of their 4-6-days-old suckling offspring. Twenty sows were fed diets enriched with either 15% high-fermentable sugar beet pulp (SBP, n = 10) or 15% low-fermentable lignocellulose (LNC, n = 10). Sow colostrum, piglet gallbladder content, ileum and colon digesta were assessed for BA using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry. In colostrum, lithocholic acid and oxolithocholic acid were higher in sows fed SBP vs. LNC (p = 0.005 and p = 0.003, respectively), while 3α,7α,12α-trihydroxycholestanoic acid and glycohyodeoxycholic acid were higher in colostrum from sows fed LNC vs. SBP (p = 0.039, p = 0.002, respectively). In the piglet bile, cholic acid and taurodeoxycholic acid were higher in SBP vs. LNC group (p = 0.02, p = 0.001, respectively), while taurochenodeoxycholic acid was higher in LNC vs. SBP group (p = 0.035). In the piglet ileum digesta, lithocholic acid was higher in SBP vs. LNC (p = 0.015). In the piglet colon digesta, lithocholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid were higher in SBP vs. LNC (p = 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). Addition of specific dietary fibres to sow diets differentially influences the BA in colostrum. Dietary fibres in sow diets can impact on the intestinal BA composition in piglets with a possible consequence on the digestive physiology and health in the offspring.