Plasma GLP-2 levels and intestinal markers in the juvenile pig during intestinal adaptation: effects of different diet regimens

Adaptation of the residual small bowel following resection is dependent on luminal and humoral factors. We aimed to establish if circulating levels of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-2) change under different dietary regimens following resection and to determine if there is a relationship between plasma GLP-2 levels and markers of intestinal adaptation. Four-week-old piglets underwent a 75% proximal small bowel resection (n = 31) or transection (n = 14). Postoperatively they received either pig chow (n = 14), nonpolymeric (elemental) infant formula (n = 7), or polymeric infant formula alone (n = 8) or supplemented either with fiber (n = 6) or with bovine colostrum protein concentrate (CPC; n = 10) for 8 weeks until sacrifice. Plasma GLP-2 levels were measured at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 8 postoperatively. In addition, end-stage parameters were studied at week 8 including weight gain, ileal villus height, crypt depth, and disaccharidase levels. Plasma GLP-2 levels were higher in resected animals compared to transected animals fed the same diet. Plasma GLP-2 levels were significantly increased in the colostrum protein isolate-supplemented animals following resection compared to all other diet groups. The increase in plasma GLP-2 (pM) was greatest in the first 2 weeks postresection (week 0, 15.5; week 2, 30.9), followed by a plateau at weeks 2 to 4 and a decrease in GLP-2 levels from week 4 to week 8. At week 8, no relationships were found between the plasma GLP-2 levels and the measurements of weight gain, villus height, lactase, sucrase, maltase, crypt depth, or villus/crypt ratio. Plasma GLP-2 levels increase in the first weeks following massive small intestinal resection. The increase in plasma GLP-2 levels was enhanced by supplementation of the diet with CPC. The changes in GLP-2 levels observed in this study may suggest that GLP-2 plays a role in the adaptive response in the intestine following resection in this preclinical model.