Effects of Scutellaria baïcalensis on sow mammary epithelial cells

In the context of sow hyper-prolificacy, the amount of milk available per piglet may be limiting for piglet survival, health and growth performance, especially for the lightest piglets. Findings from an in vivo study suggested that inflammation occurring the days after farrowing had a negative impact on sow milk production in hyperprolific sows. Therefore, any feed ingredients with anti-inflammatory properties may be helpful to increase milk production and piglet performance. Recently, Scutellaria baïcalensis, a widely spread labiate in Russia, China and Japan, has been shown to increase piglet growth rate from birth to weaning. Baicalin, the major compound found in S. baïcalensis extract, is a flavone glycoside with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of the present study was to characterize the effects of baicalin on porcine mammary epithelial cells (MEC). MEC were purified from mammary glands collected collected in sows at peak lactation and cultured in the presence of increasing concentrations of baicalin (from 0 up to 200 μg/ml). We demonstrated that baicalin stimulated MEC proliferation when added to culture media at low concentrations (+60% at 10 μg/ml, P<0.001). The effect of baicalin on oxidative stress was investigated through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by MEC after 1.5 h or 24 h of incubation. A marked anti-oxidative effect was observed on MEC at low as well as at high concentrations of baicalin during a 1.5 h or 24 h incubation (+90% ROS on average with baicalin at 200 μg/ml, P<0.001). When hydrogen peroxide, a pro-oxidative reagent, was added in culture media, the anti-oxidative effects of baicalin were also observed. In conclusion, these results suggest that effect of S. baïcalensis on piglet growth rate could be related to the anti-oxidative effects of baicalin on mammary epithelial cell features, which may have favored milk production.