{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T19:51:01Z","timestamp":1783540261791,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]],"date-time":"2025-05-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746748800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Sichuan Science and Technology Program","award":["2021ZDZX0009"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021ZDZX0009"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The effect of low birth weight (LBW) on piglet development has been widely demonstrated. However, the reasons for the significant decline in the growth performance of LBW piglets after weaning remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon. At 21 days of age, 24 normal-birth-weight (NBW) piglets and 24 LBW piglets were selected and divided into four groups\u2014NBW control, NBW weaning, LBW control, and LBW weaning\u2014with 12 replicates per group (1 piglet per replicate). Control groups were euthanized on the same day, while weaning groups were weaned and sampled 3 days later. The results showed that the body weight of NBW piglets increased, whereas that of LBW piglets decreased, after 3 days of weaning. Compared with NBW piglets, LBW piglets exhibited higher serum cortisol concentrations and lower villus height (p &lt; 0.05). Weaning stress significantly increased serum cortisol and C-reactive protein concentrations in NBW piglets (p &lt; 0.05), while no significant changes were observed in LBW piglets. However, weaning stress significantly increased serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations (p &lt; 0.05) in LBW piglets but not in NBW piglets. Additionally, weaning stress reduced the mRNA expressions of Occludin, Claudin-1, and Claudin-2 in the jejunum of NBW piglets (p &lt; 0.05), as well as Occludin in the jejunum of LBW piglets (p &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, weaning stress reduced the mRNA expressions of IL-6, TLR9, MyD88, TRIF and p65 NF-\u03baB in the jejunum of NBW piglets (p &lt; 0.05). In LBW piglets, weaning stress decreased the mRNA expressions of IL-2, TNF-\u03b1, NLRP3, TLR9, and NOD2 (p &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, compared to NBW piglets, LBW piglets are more susceptible to weaning stress-induced protein metabolic disorders and intestinal barrier dysfunction, ultimately leading to impaired immune function and reduced growth performance. The results underscore the importance of tailored management strategies for piglets based on birth weight to mitigate weaning stress impacts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15101369","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]],"date-time":"2025-05-09T09:56:19Z","timestamp":1746784579000},"page":"1369","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Weaning Stress Aggravates Defense Response and the Burden of Protein Metabolism in Low-Birth-Weight Piglets"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Peipei","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistant Nutrition, Chengdu 611130, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinwei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Quality Management and Inspection & Quarantine, Yibin University, Yibin 644000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yihang","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistant Nutrition, Chengdu 611130, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6605-6742","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bing","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistant Nutrition, Chengdu 611130, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1963-9766","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jun","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistant Nutrition, Chengdu 611130, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jie","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistant Nutrition, Chengdu 611130, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ping","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Animal Disease-Resistant Nutrition, Chengdu 611130, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"417","DOI":"10.1631\/jzus.B1500010","article-title":"Within-litter variation in birth weight: Impact of nutritional status in the sow","volume":"16","author":"Yuan","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. 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