Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation Improves the Intestinal Health of Offspring Porcine by Promoting the Proliferation and Differentiation of Intestinal Stem Cells

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Maternal folic acid intake is crucial for offspring growth and development. This study investigated the impact of maternal folic acid supplementation on the small intestine development in piglets. We found that folic acid supplementation during gestation and lactation significantly increased the body weight, villus length, and expression of nutrient transporters in the duodenum and jejunum of offspring piglets. Additionally, maternal folic acid supplementation also enhanced the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells of piglets. These results highlight the beneficial effects of maternal folic acid supplementation on growth performance and gut health of offspring by enhancing the balance of epithelial cell renewal. ABSTRACT: Maternal folic acid intake has important effects on offspring growth and development. The mechanism involved in the renewal of intestinal epithelial cells remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the potential effect of maternal folic acid supplementation during gestation and lactation on the structural and functional development of the small intestine in piglet offspring. Twenty-four Duroc sows were assigned to a control group (CON) and a folic-acid-supplemented group (CON + FA, supplemented with 15 mg/kg of folic acid). The results showed that maternal folic acid supplementation throughout gestation and lactation significantly increased the body weight, serum folate level, and intestinal folate metabolism in piglets. It also improved the villus length, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, and transcript levels of nutrient transporters (GLUT4, SNAT2, FABP2, and SLC7A5) in piglets’ duodenum and jejunum. In addition, maternal folic acid supplementation increased Ki67-positive cells and the expression of proliferation-related marker genes (C-Myc, CyclinD1, and PCNA) in piglets’ intestinal stem cells. It also boosted the expression of genes associated with mature secreted cells (ChrA, Muc2, Lyz, Vil1), indicating enhanced proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells. These findings demonstrate that maternal folic acid supplementation enhances growth performance and gut health in piglet offspring by promoting epithelial cell renewal equilibrium.