Gut Microbiota Dynamics and Nutritional Strategies in Porcine Weaning Period

Weaning piglets from their sow is one of the most stressful events in the pig’s life. This transition triggers a huge stress response because of multiple factors such as environmental factors, maternal separation, and infection, leading to dramatic alterations of gut microbiota. Gut microbiota plays a vital role in host health by providing nutrients, modulating gastrointestinal development, shaping the immune system and competitive inhibition of pathogens. Disorder of gut microbiota will destroy the dynamic environment in intestinal mucosa where the host constantly interacts with trillions of commensal microorganisms, resulting in intestinal barrier dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response of the host. Nutritional interventions via changing dietary patterns are effective strategies for the modulation of gut microbiota. Therefore, studies that focus on the role of nutritional interventions in the modulation of gut microbiota during the porcine weaning period and further molecular mechanisms by targeting related signalling pathways, as well as the interactions between these pathways and gut microbiota in vitro and in vivo, are urgently needed, which can help us to comprehensively understand the meaning of the application of nutritional strategies in the pig production industry.

The goal of this Research Topic is to explore the evolution of gut microbiota utilizing advanced detection techniques and the role the different nutritional strategies on gut microbiota (including but not limited to the impacts on intestinal barrier, absorption, immune function, and their interactions with the luminal microbiota) during piglet weaning period and their molecular mechanisms in vitro and in vivo, with an emphasis on how they could be translated into their use as dietary supplements in pig production to prevent disorder of gut microbiota during weaning period.

We welcome submissions in the fields of the following themes (but are not limited to) in vitro and in vivo:
• Evolution of intestinal biota and effects of the alteration of gut microbiota on health status (such as immune function, inflammation, oxidative stress, intestinal function, etc) during the weaning period of the pigs;
• Innovative nutritional strategies that can show beneficial effects on gut microbiota and health status, as well as protective effects against disease or therapies to treat disease during the weaning period of the pigs;
• Explore the protective mechanisms during the weaning period of the pigs from the aspects of immune function, inflammation, oxidative stress, intestinal barrier, and absorption, and their interactions with the luminal microbiota, etc.