Dietary supplementation with Acremonium terricola culture alters the gut microbial structure and improves the growth performance, antioxidant status, and immune function of weaning piglets.

BACKGROUND: Acremonium terricola is used in the feed of dairy animals to promote growth and control diseases. However, the effects of dietary supplementation with A. terricola on the gut microbial structure of weaning piglets remain poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with A. terricola culture (ATC) on the growth performance, antioxidant status, immunity, and gut environment of weaning piglets. Sixty piglets were fed a basal diet supplemented with 1 g ATC/kg of basal diet (experimental group). Another 60 piglets did not receive ATC (control group). The intervention lasted for 20 days. RESULTS: The experimental group had higher daily weight gain and feed efficiency than did the control group. Significant increases were noted in the levels of serum insulin (P = 0.0018), insulin-like growth factor (P = 0.0018), triiodothyronine (P = 0.0031), immunoglobulin A (P < 0.0001), immunoglobulin M (P = 0.001), immunoglobulin G (P = 0.0001), and interferon γ (P < 0.0001) in the experimental group compared with the levels in the control group. Furthermore, ATC supplementation significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of Shuttleworthia, Succinivibrio, Roseburia, Ruminococcus, and Paludibacter but increased that of Phascolarctobacterium, Megasphaera, Faecalibacterium, and Prevotella in the experimental group compared with that in the control group. Notably, ATC supplementation significantly increased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (P < 0.05), which is involved in anti-inflammatory activities, gut barrier enhancement, and butyrate production. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary supplementation with ATC may improve the growth performance, antioxidant status, immunity, and fecal microflora of weaning pigs.

Effects of the Supplementation of Essential Oil Mixtures on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Immune Status and Microbial Community in Weaned Piglets.

Since essential oils-such as cinnamaldehyde, thymol, carvacrol, and eugenol-have antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, this study aimed to examine the supplementation of different essential oil mixtures together with 1600 mg/kg zinc oxide (ZnO) on growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, serum immune indices, fecal volatile fatty acids, and microflora structure in weaned piglets. A total of 240 weaned piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) with an average body weight of 8.85 ± 0.21 kg were randomly allocated to 30 pens (6 pens per diet, 4 males and 4 females per pen). Five different experimental diets were prepared and administered for 28 days: (i) a control diet (C), a corn-soybean basal diet without antibiotics, ZnO, or a supplementation of growth promoters; (ii) a control diet with 400 mg/kg essential oil mixtures 1 (EOM1); (iii) a control diet supplemented with ZnO at 1600 mg/kg (Z); (iv) a diet incorporating the Z diet with the addition of essential oil mixtures 1 at 400 mg/kg (ZOM1); and (v) a diet incorporating the Z diet with the addition of essential oil mixtures 2 at 400 mg/kg (ZOM2). During day (d) 14-28 and d 1-28 of the experiment, the average daily gain (ADG) in piglets in the ZOM1 and ZOM2 groups were higher (p < 0.05) compared to the C group. The diarrhea incidence of the Z, ZOM1, and ZOM2 groups were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), and the piglets of the ZOM1 group exhibited the lowest diarrhea incidence throughout the trial period. Additionally, the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), ash, organic matter (OM), and ether extract (EE) were higher than those fed the Z diet, and higher levels of NDF, ADF, and crude protein (CP) were observed in groups other than those fed the ZOM1 diet (p < 0.01). On d 14, the pigs fed EOM1 and ZOM2 diets showed a somewhat lower (p < 0.1) immunoglobulin G (lgG) level in serum than those fed the C diet. Additionally, the IL-8 level in serum in the ZOM1 group tended to be higher than that in the other groups (p < 0.1). The piglets fed the ZOM1 diet showed a tendency of lower (p = 0.05) acetate concentration in feces on d 14. Principal co-ordinates analysis (PCoA) showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the composition of fecal microbial communities among the groups. Dietary EOM1 significantly increased the number of fecal bacteroides (p < 0.05) and tended to increase the number of Prevotella (p < 0.1). Therefore, EOM1 combined with 1600 mg/kg ZnO tends to reduce diarrhea incidence, tends to improve the fecal microbial community structure and growth performance of weaned piglets, and has the potential to replace pharmacological dosages of ZnO.

Mesobiliverdin IXα-enriched microalgae feed additive eliminates reliance on antibiotic tylosin to promote intestinal health of weaning piglets.

Weaning is a critical period in raising pigs. Novel animal feed additives that promote gut health and regulate immune function of piglets without antibiotics are needed. In this study, we aimed to test the ability of mesobiliverdin IXα-enriched microalgae (MBV IXα-enriched microalgae) to eliminate reliance on antibiotics to promote intestinal health in piglets. Eighty 28-day-old weaned piglets were randomly allocated to four groups each with four replicate pens and five piglets per pen. The dietary treatments were a basal diet as control (NC), basal diet plus 0.05% tylosin (PC), basal diet plus 0.1% or 0.5% MBV IXα-enriched microalgae as low (MBV-SP1) or high (MBV-SP2) dose respectively. All treated animals showed no significant differences in live weight, average daily gain and feed efficiency compared to control animals. Histological examination showed that MBV-SP1 and particularly MBV-SP2 increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum compared to NC (p < 0.05). Similarly, tylosin treatment also increased villi lengths and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum compared to the NC (p < 0.05). MBV-SP1 and particularly MBV-SP2 reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in the small intestine. MBV-SP2 and tylosin similarly reduced the lipid peroxidation marker (TBARS value) in the duodenum and ileum. In conclusion, feed supplementation with MBV IXα-enriched microalgae improved gut health by villus height and production of immunomodulators that correlated with down-regulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines.

Microencapsulation protected Lactobacillus viability and its activity in modulating the intestinal microbiota in newly weaned piglets.

Lactobacilli are sensitive to heat, which limits their application as probiotics in livestock production. Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1 was previously shown to reduce enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Salmonella infections in pigs. To investigate its potential in the application, the bacterium was microencapsulated and examined for its survival from feed pelleting and long-term storage as well as its function in modulating pig intestinal microbiota. The in vitro studies showed that freshly microencapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1 had viable counts of 9.03 ± 0.049 log10 colony-forming units/g, of which only 0.06 and 0.87 Log of viable counts were reduced after storage at 4 and 22 °C for 427 d. The viable counts of encapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1 were 1.06 and 1.54 Log higher in the pelleted and mash feed, respectively, than the non-encapsulated form stored at 22 °C for 30 d. In the in vivo studies, 80 piglets (weaned at 21 d of age) were allocated to five dietary treatments for a 10-d growth trial. The dietary treatments were the basal diet (CTL) and basal diet combined with either non-encapsulated LB1 (NEP), encapsulated LB1 (EP), bovine colostrum (BC), or a combination of encapsulated LB1 and bovine colostrum (EP-BC). The results demonstrated that weaning depressed feed intake and reduced growth rates in pigs of all the treatments during 21 to 25 d of age; however, the body weight gain was improved during 25 to 31 d of age in all groups with the numerically highest increase in the EP-BC-fed pigs during 21 to 31 d of age. Dietary treatments with EP, particularly in combination with BC, modulated pig intestinal microbiota, including an increase in Lactobacillus relative abundance. These results suggest that microencapsulation can protect Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1 against cell damage from a high temperature during processing and storage and there are possible complementary effects between EP and BC.

Both in vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to verify if the microencapsulation method reported previously could preserve the viability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1 after feed pelleting and long-term storage, and the probiotic functions of the bacterium either alone or in combination with bovine colostrum (BC) in the weaning transition phase of piglets. The results demonstrated that microencapsulation protected Lactobacillus rhamnosus LB1 against cell damage from a high temperature during processing and storage. Dietary treatments with encapsulated LB1, particularly in combination with BC, modulated pig intestinal microbiota, including an increase in Lactobacillus relative abundance during the weaning transition.

Caffeic acid improves intestinal barrier functions by regulating colonic bacteria and tight junction protein expression and alleviating inflammation in weaning piglets.

The experiment investigated the effect of caffeic acid on bacteria, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and the expression of tight junction protein and inflammation related genes in the colon of weaning piglets. Thirty-six weaning piglets were allocated to three treatment groups, which were fed with a basal diet, a basal diet supplemented with 250 mg/kg or 500 mg/kg caffeic acid for 28 days. The results showed that caffeic acid treatment increased the contents of acetate acid, propionate acid and total SCFA. Moreover, real-time quantitative PCR showed that the number of Bifidobacterium (p < 0.05) and Lactobacillus (p < 0.05) were increased and the number of Escherichia coli (p < 0.05) was decreased by caffeic acid in colonic mucosa. Real-time quantitative PCR also showed that the mRNA levels of zonula occludens-1 (p < 0.01), claudin-1 (p < 0.01), occludin (p < 0.01), mucin 1 (MUC1) (p < 0.01), MUC2 (p < 0.01), interleukin 4 (IL-4) (p < 0.01) and IL-10 (p < 0.05) were increased, while the mRNA expression levels of histone deacetylases (p < 0.01), IL-1 (p < 0.01), IL-6 (p < 0.01) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (p < 0.01) were decreased, by caffeic acid in colonic mucosa. These results suggested that caffeic acid could improve intestinal barrier function in weaned pigs, which might be mediated by regulating colonic bacteria and tight junction protein expression and alleviating inflammation.

An alternative ZnO with large specific surface area: Preparation, physicochemical characterization and effects on growth performance, diarrhea, zinc metabolism and gut barrier function of weaning piglets.

High-dose ZnO is widely used to prevent diarrhea and promote growth of weaning piglets, which has led to serious problems of animal toxicity, bacterial resistance and environmental pollution. In this study, a novel alternative ZnO (AZO) was prepared and its physicochemical properties were characterized. Animal experiments were further conducted to evaluate the effects of the ZnO forms, the dose of AZO and the combinations with AZO on the growth performance, diarrhea, zinc metabolism and gut barrier function of weaning piglets. The results showed that the AZO, compared with ordinary ZnO (OZO), nano ZnO (NZO) and porous ZnO (PZO), had the largest surface area and reduced the release of Zn2+ into the gastric fluid. AZO showed better antibacterial activity on Escherichia coli K88, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteritidis but lower cytotoxicity on porcine intestinal epithelial cells. Animal experiments suggested that low-dose AZO, NZO and PZO (300 mg/kg) improved growth performance and reduced diarrhea in weaning piglets as well as high-dose OZO (3000 mg/kg). Notably, low-dose AZO had the lowest diarrhea incidence. Additionally, low-dose AZO in combination with probiotics improved digestibility and digestive enzyme activities. Low-dose AZO in combination with probiotics also upregulated the expression of the intestinal zinc transporter proteins ZIP4 and DMT1, increased zinc bioavailability, reduced faecal zinc emissions, and avoided zinc overload in the liver and oxidative damage caused by high-dose ZnO. Moreover, low-dose AZO in combination with probiotics improved the gut barrier function of weaning piglets by promoting the expression of tight junction proteins, mucins and antimicrobial peptides and increasing gut microbiota diversity and beneficial Lactobacillus. This study proposed a novel strategy to replace high-dose ZnO and antibiotics with low-dose AZO and probiotics in weaning piglets, which effectively improved growth performance and prevented diarrhea while reducing animal toxicity, bacterial resistance, heavy metal residues and zinc emission pollution.

Effects of dietary supplementation of bovine lactoferrin on growth performance, immune function and intestinal health in weaning piglets.

Weaning is a crucial period in the pig's life cycle, which is frequently followed by gastrointestinal (GI) infections, diarrhea and even death. This study focused on the impact of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) supplementation on the intestinal health of weaning piglets. Weaning piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 23 days) were randomly allocated into four groups, which included negative control group (CON): basic diet; positive control group (ANT): basic diet + 20 mg/kg flavomycin + 100 mg/kg aureomycin; treatment group bLF-A: basic diet + 1 g/kg bLF; treatment group bLF-B: basic diet + 3 g/kg bLF. The result showed that dietary supplementation of bLF can improve growth performance and reduce diarrhea, which exhibits dose-dependency (P < 0.05). Compared with CON group, supplementation with bLF significantly improved immunity, and increased villus height and ratio of villus height/crypt depth at the small intestinal mucosa (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of claudin-1, occludin and ZO-1 was greatly increased in the ileum of bLF group on days 7 and 14 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the supplementation of bLF increased the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and decreased the abundance of Escherichia coli in the cecum on day 7 (P < 0.05). The dietary supplementation of bLF enhanced the growth performance, reduced diarrhea rate in weaning piglets by improving intestinal immunity, morphology and barrier function, balancing intestinal microbiota. And bLF can be a promising feed additive in relieving stress situation of weaning piglets.

Dietary supplementation with a microencapsulated complex of thymol, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde improves intestinal barrier function in weaning piglets.

BACKGROUND: The authors previously prepared a microencapsulated complex of thymol, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde (MEEO). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of MEEO on the intestinal mucosal barrier and homeostasis in weaning piglets. A comparison of the effect of MEEO versus chlortetracycline (CTC) was performed in this study. RESULTS: Piglets were divided into three groups - control (Con), MEEO, and CTC groups - and raised for 28 days. The results showed that MEEO significantly elevated the ratio of the villus height and the crypt depth in the jejunum and decreased the crypt depth in the ileum compared with the other groups (P < 0.05); it also upregulated the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of tight junction protein in the small intestine. Compared with the Con group, MEEO increased the concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), cathelicidin antimicrobial peptides (CAMP), and interleukin 10 (IL-10), while decreasing the interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) concentration in both jejunal and ileal mucosa (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of jejunal mucosal MUC1 and ileal mucosal MUC2 was increased in the MEEO group compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). Intestinal microbial analysis showed that dietary treatment had little impact on the ileal microbial structure. A significant rise in the genus Lactobacillus was, however, found in the MEEO group. There is a positive correlation between the Lactobacillus and sIgA, and between the Lactobacillus and CAMP, indicating that an improvement in the mucosal barrier function by the addition of MEEO may be associated with the proliferation of Lactobacillus. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplementation with MEEO improves intestinal barrier function in weaning piglets, the effect of which was superior to CTC. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bifidobacterium animalis Promotes the Growth of Weaning Piglets by Improving Intestinal Development, Enhancing Antioxidant Capacity, and Modulating Gut Microbiota.

Probiotics are widely used to promote performance and improve gut health in weaning piglets. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. animalis) JYBR-190 on the growth performance, intestine health, and gut microbiota of weaning piglets. The results showed that the dietary addition of B. animalis significantly improved growth performance and decreased diarrhea incidence. B. animalis increased villus height in the duodenum and elevated goblet cell numbers and amylase activity in the jejunum. Additionally, B. animalis supplementation markedly increased total antioxidant capacity in jejunal mucosa but declined the malondialdehyde content. B. animalis treatment did not affect the mRNA expressions associated with the intestinal barrier and inflammatory cytokine in various intestinal segments. Microbiota analysis indicated that a diet supplemented with B. animalis significantly increased the relative abundances of health-promoting bacteria in the lumen, such as Streptococcus, Erysipelotrichaceae, Coprococcus, and Oscillibacter. There was a trend for B. animalis fed piglets to have a higher relative abundance of B. animalis in ileal digesta. Moreover, B. animalis-treated pigs decreased the abundance of Helicobacter and Escherichia-Shigella in ileal mucosa-associated microbiota. In summary, this study showed that B. animalis supplementation stimulated growth performance, improved gut development, enriched beneficial bacteria abundances, and declined intestinal pathogens populations, while B. animalis had limited effects on the intestinal barrier and immune function. IMPORTANCE In the modern swine industry, weaning is a critical period in the pig's life cycle. Sudden dietary, social, and environmental changes can easily lead to gut microbiota dysbiosis, diarrhea, and a decrease in growth performance. To stabilize intestinal microbiota and promote animal growth, antibiotics were widely applied in swine diets during the past few decades. However, the side effects of antibiotics posed a great threat to public health and food safety. Therefore, it is urgent to find and develop antibiotic alternatives. The growing evidence suggested that probiotics can be preferable alternatives to antibiotics because they can modulate microbiota composition and resist pathogens colonization. In this study, our results indicated that dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis promoted growth in weaning piglets by improving gut development, increasing beneficial bacteria abundances, and declining pathogens populations.

Rhodotorula benthica culture as an alternative to antibiotics improves growth performance by improving nutrients digestibility and intestinal morphology, and modulating gut microbiota of weaned piglets.

The effects of Rhodotorula benthica culture (RBC) and antibiotics (AB) on the growth performance, nutrients digestibility, morphological indicators, and colonic microbiota of weaning piglets were explored. Ninety-six (Duroc × Landrace × Large) weaned piglets (21-day-old) weighing 7.7 ± 0.83 kg, were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments. They were fed with basal diet (CON), basal diet + 25 mg/kg bacitracin zinc + 5 mg/kg colistin sulfate (AB), 5 g/kg reduction in soybean meal of basal diet + 5 g/kg RBC (RBC1), or 10 g/kg reduction in soybean meal of basal diet + 10 g/kg RBC (RBC2). The results showed that dietary RBC1 improved the body gain/feed intake (G/F) of weaned piglets than the CON diet, and the RBC2 diet improved the average daily gain and G/F than CON and AB diets from days 15 to 28 (P < 0.05). Supplementation of RBC2 improved the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and gross energy in weaned piglets compared to controls from days 15 to 28 (P < 0.05). Dietary AB, RBC1, and RBC2 enhanced the ileal villus height (VH) and VH/crypt depth (CD), and these two indicators were greater in the RBC2-treated piglets than in the AB- and RBC1-treated piglets (P < 0.05). The activity of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was enhanced by dietary AB, RBC1, and RBC2 (P < 0.05). Serum glutathione (GSH) concentration was elevated by dietary RBC1 and RBC2 (P < 0.05). According to 16S rRNA sequence analysis, AB- and RBC2-treated piglets had a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Lachnospiraceae in the colon digesta, and more abundant Lactobacillus was found in RBC1-treated piglets, as compared to the CON group. Additionally, RBC2 supplementation increased the α diversity [Chao1, PD-whole-tree, and observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs)] compared to the CON group. Taken together, the dietary RBC improved the growth performance of weaned piglets. In addition, 10 g/kg of RBC2 in the diet achieved better effects on higher ADG, ileal villi morphology, and stronger antioxidant capacity than dietary AB and RBC1 in weaning piglets.

Dietary L-theanine supplementation improves lipid metabolism and antioxidant capacity in weaning piglets.

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of dietary L-theanine (LT) supplementation on lipid metabolism and antioxidant capacity in weaned piglets. Twenty-one castrated DLY weaning piglets were randomly divided into three groups: a basal diet, a basal diet supplemented with 0.05% and 0.1% LT, respectively. Our data showed that dietary LT supplementation decreased T-CHO, TG, LDL-C and apoB levels and increased apoA and HDL-C levels in serum, but decreased the hepatic TG and T-CHO contents. Dietary LT supplementation increased the antioxidant capacity in serum and liver, and significantly increased the Nrf2 mRNA level and the nucleus Nrf2 protein level, but decreased the mRNA level of keap1 in the liver. In addition, dietary LT supplementation significantly increased HSL enzyme activity and the levels of CPT1 and TBA, while decreasing the enzyme activities of LPL and FAS in the liver. Furthermore, the mRNA levels HMG-CoAR, CPT-1a and PPARα and the protein levels of phosphorylated-AMPK and PGC-1α were increased by LT. Together, our data provide the first evidence that dietary supplementation of LT could improve lipid metabolism and antioxidant capacity in the liver of weaned piglets, and the effect might be mediated by activation of AMPK and Nrf2 signaling, respectively.

Effect of dietary L-theanine supplementation on skeletal muscle fiber type transformation in weaning piglets.

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of dietary L-theanine (LT) supplementation on skeletal muscle fiber type transformation in weaning piglets. Our data showed that LT significantly increased the slow-twitch fiber-related genes expression and the percentage of slow oxidative fiber, and decreased the MyHC IIb mRNA expression and the percentage of fast glycolytic fiber. In addition, LT significantly increased the succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activities and increased the LDH activities. In addition, LT significantly affected mitochondrial biogenesis and function and antioxidative related genes expression, and increased the protein expression of p-adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), NADPH quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and decreased the Keap1 protein levels. Furthermore, our data indicated that LT significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of prospero-related homeobox 1 (Prox1), calcineurin A (CnA), and NFATc1, suggesting that dietary LT supplementation promoted skeletal muscle fiber transition from types II to I might be via activation of calcineurin signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings suggested that LT promoted the transformation of muscle fiber types from slow oxidative to fast glycolytic by increasing antioxidant capacity and improving mitochondrial biogenesis and function and activation of calcineurin signaling pathway.

Effects of Immobilized Antimicrobial Peptides on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Index, Inflammatory Factors, Intestinal Morphology, and Microbial Community in Weaning Pigs.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of immobilized antimicrobial peptides on growth performance, serum biochemical index, inflammatory factors, intestinal morphology, and microbial community of weaning piglets. A total of 21 weaning piglets [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)] with initial body weight (7.64 ± 0.65 kg) were randomly allocated to one of three treatments with seven replicates (one pig per replicate) per treatment according to sex and weight in randomized complete block design. Pigs in the three treatments were fed corn-soybean meal-based diet (CON), corn-soybean meal based diet + flavomycin (25 mg/kg) + quinone (50 mg/kg) (AB), and corn-soybean meal based diet + 1,000 mg/kg immobilized antimicrobial peptides (IAMPs), respectively. The experiment lasted for 28 days, including early stage (0-14 days) and late stage (15-28 days). The results showed the following: (1) compared with the CON group, the average daily gain in the whole experimental time (p < 0.05) was significantly increased, and the diarrhea rate of weaning piglets was decreased (p < 0.01) in the IAMPs group; (2) compared with the CON group, the concentrations of serum IgM and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the IAMPs group were significantly higher than the CON and AB groups (p < 0.01); (3) compared with CON group, the concentrations of serum interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF-ß) were significantly increased (p < 0.05), and the concentration of IL-12 was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the IAMPs group; (4) compared with CON group, the concentrations of serum endotoxin and D-lactate of piglets were significantly reduced (p < 0.05), and the relative expression of ZO-1 and occludin in the jejunum of piglets were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the IAMPs group; (5) compared with the CON group, the villus height of the duodenum and jejunum of weaning piglets in IAMPs and AB groups was significantly increased (p < 0.05); and (6) compared with CON group, the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella in the colon and cecal digesta was decreased. In summary, the addition of 1,000 mg/kg immobilized antimicrobial peptides in the diet effectively relieved weaning stress by showing improved growth performance, antioxidant and immune capacity, intestinal morphology, and microorganisms.

Effect of dietary leucine supplementation on skeletal muscle fiber type transformation in weaning piglets.

To investigate the effects of dietary leucine supplementation on muscle fiber type transformation in weaning piglets, 54 21-day-old male DLY (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) weaned piglets were randomly divided into control, 0.25% and 0.5% leucine groups. The experiment lasted for 42 d. The results showed that dietary supplementation of 0.25% leucine significantly increased the protein expressions of slow MyHC, myoglobin and Troponin I-SS and the mRNA expressions of MyHC I, MyHC IIa, Tnni1, Tnnc1, Tnnt1 and myoglobin, while decreased the protein level of fast MyHC and the mRNA level of MyHC IIb in longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. Furthermore, 0.25% leucine significantly increased succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and decreased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. In addition, our data found that 0.25% leucine significantly increased serum adiponectin (AdipoQ) concentration, and the protein levels of AdipoQ, adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1), phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) and PPAR-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and the mRNA levels of AdipoQ, AdipoR1 and AMPKα2. Together, our findings indicate that leucine promotes porcine skeletal muscle fiber type transformation from fast-twitch to slow-twitch, and the effect may be mediated by AdipoQ-AMPK-PGC-1α signaling pathway.

Herbal Extract Mixture Modulates Intestinal Antioxidative Capacity and Microbiota in Weaning Piglets.

Recently, herbal extracts have been applied in multiple aspects, such as medicine and animal feed. Different compositions of herbal extract mixture (HEM) have various components and diverse functions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of HEM (Lonicera japonica, Astragalus membranaceus, Eucommia folium, and Codonopsis pilosula) on intestinal antioxidant capacity and colonic microbiota in weaned pigs. A total of 18 piglets [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)] with the initial body weight of 5.99 ± 0.13 kg (weaned at 21 days) were randomly divided into two groups (n = 9): the control group (CON, basal diet) and the HEM treatment group (HEM, 1,000 mg/kg HEM + basal diet). The experiment period lasted for 14 days. Our results showed that dietary supplementation with HEM modulated the antioxidant capacity through decreasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the ileum and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in the serum, and decreasing the mRNA expression of Kelch like-ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) in the jejunum and the protein level of Keap1 in the ileum. Moreover, the HEM group modified the composition of colonic microbiota with affecting relative abundances of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes at the phylum level. Taken together, supplementation of HEM can regulate the antioxidant capacity and modify the composition of colonic bacteria in weaning piglets. This study provides new insights into the combination effects of herbal extracts on weaning piglets.

Clostridium Butyricum ZJU-F1 Benefits the Intestinal Barrier Function and Immune Response Associated with Its Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Weaned Piglets.

This study investigated the effects of dietary C. butyricum ZJU-F1 on the apparent digestibility of nutrients, intestinal barrier function, immune response, and microflora of weaned piglets, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for the application of Clostridium butyricum as an alternative to antibiotics in weaned piglets. A total of 120 weanling piglets were randomly divided into four treatment groups, in which piglets were fed a basal diet supplemented with antibiotics (CON), Bacillus licheniformis (BL), Clostridium butyricum ZJU-F1 (CB), or Clostridium butyricum and Bacillus licheniformis (CB-BL), respectively. The results showed that CB and CB-BL treatment increased the intestinal digestibility of nutrients, decreased intestinal permeability, and increased intestinal tight junction protein and mucin expression, thus maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier. CB and CB-BL, as exogenous probiotics, were also found to stimulate the immune response of weaned piglets and improve the expression of antimicrobial peptides in the ileum. In addition, dietary CB and CB-BL increased the proportion of Lactobacillus. The levels of butyric acid, propionic acid, acetic acid, and total acid were significantly increased in the ceca of piglets fed CB and CB-BL. Furthermore, we validated the effects of C. butyricum ZJU-F1 on the intestinal barrier function and immune response in vitro and found C. butyricum ZJU-F1 improved intestinal function and enhanced the TLR-2-MyD88-NF-κB signaling.

Effects of dietary resveratrol supplementation on immunity, antioxidative capacity and intestinal barrier function in weaning piglets.

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of dietary supplementation of resveratrol on immunity, antioxidative capacity, intestinal barrier function in weaning piglets. Here, fifty-four 28-day-old Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire weaning piglets were randomly divided into three dietary treatments and fed with a basal diet or a basal diet supplemented with 150 and 300 mg/kg resveratrol, respectively, for 42 days. The results indicated that resveratrol increased serum immunoglobulin G content. In serum, resveratrol increased glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content. In liver, resveratrol not only increased T-AOC and total superoxide dismutase enzyme activities but also decreased MDA content. Meanwhile, the results showed that resveratrol had significantly increased the jejunum villus height and villus height/crypt depth, and decreased the crypt depth in jejunum. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of IL-10 and ZO-1 were significantly increased in jejunal mucosa. However, there was no significant difference in the mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, Occludin and Claudin1 between the treatment groups and the control group. Taken together, these results indicated that dietary supplementation of resveratrol could increase antioxidant activity, promote the integrity of intestinal barrier and increase the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines in weaning piglets.

Effects of dietary supplementation with herbal extract mixture on growth performance, organ weight and intestinal morphology in weaning piglets.

BACKGROUND: Many countries are increasingly prohibiting the addition of antibiotics in livestock diets. Therefore, herb extracts have gradually drawn attention to substitute antibiotics. Our present study aimed to determine the effects of herbal extract mixture (HEM) in dietary on growth performance, organ weight, intestinal morphology and intestinal nutrient transporters in weaned pigs. METHODS: 27 piglets (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire]; Body Weight (BW) = 5.99 ± 0.13 kg) were weaned at day 21 and randomly divided into three groups (n = 9 piglets/group). All piglets received a basal diet containing similar amounts of nutrients for 14 days. The three groups were the control (no additive), the antibiotics (375 mg/kg chlortetracycline, 20%, 500 mg/kg enramycin, 4%, 1,500 mg/kg oxytetracycline calcium, 50%) and the HEM group (1000 mg/kg extract mixture of golden-and-silver honeysuckle, huangqi, duzhong leaves and dangshen). After 14 d of treatment, we collected tissue samples to measure organ weight, intestinal parameters, intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities and intestinal mRNA expression of nutrient transporters. RESULTS: The HEM group had no effects on growth performance and organ weight of weaned pigs. But compared with the control group, both HEM and antibiotics improved intestinal morphology, and HEM elevated the expression of nutrient transporters in ileum (SLC6A9, SLC15A1, and SLC5A1). HEM significantly decreased the activities of maltase in ileum and the ratio of small intestinal weight to BW than control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate benefit effects of the supplementation of HEM in diet, including modulating intestinal morphology and increasing the mRNA expression of nutrients transporters. These findings suggest that HEM provides novel insights into a variety of herbal extract mixtures to replace antibiotics in animal production.

Effects of Cortex Phellodendri extract on post-weaning piglets diarrhoea.

The diarrhoea incidence rate is often high among weaning piglets. In light of the fact that Cortex phellodendri has long been used to treat diarrhoea in China, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of Cortex Phellodendri Extract (CPE) on diarrhoea in weaning piglets and the mechanism behind such effects. In the first trial, 36 diarrhoeal weaning piglets were randomly divided into three groups. The control group was injected with 20 mg oxytetracycline/kg BW, while the two treatment groups were orally administered with 10 mg and 20 mg CPE/kg BW respectively. In the second trial, 96 weaning piglets were randomly divided into two groups. The control group was fed basal diet, while 300 mg CPE/kg BW was added to the diet of the treatment group. The pathogenic bacteria were then isolated and identified from the diarrhoeal faecal samples. Cell adhesion and RT-PCR tests were used to investigate the effect of CPE on the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to IPEC-J2 cells. 16S rDNA-based high-throughput sequencing was used to analyse faecal microflora. The results showed that CPE reduced the diarrhoea incidence rate (p < 0.05) and diarrhoea index (p < 0.05) compared to control group, and increased the richness and evenness of weaning piglets' gut microbiota. Escherichia coli (E. coil) was identified as the causative organism. Cell adhesion and RT-PCR tests suggested that CPE reduced the adhesion of E. coli to IPEC-J2 cells (p < 0.05) and the expression of fae and faeG gene (p < 0.05) responsible for encoding E. coli fimbriae protein.

Dietary glutamine, glutamate, and aspartate supplementation improves hepatic lipid metabolism in post-weaning piglets.

A previous study has demonstrated that early weaning significantly suppressed hepatic glucose metabolism in piglets. Glutamate (Glu), aspartate (Asp) and glutamine (Gln) are major metabolic fuels for the small intestine and can alleviate weaning stress, and therefore might improve hepatic energy metabolism. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of administration of Glu, Asp and Gln on the expression of hepatic genes and proteins involved in lipid metabolism in post-weaning piglets. Thirty-six weaned piglets were assigned to the following treatments: control diet (Control; basal diet + 15.90 g/kg alanine); Asp, Gln and Glu-supplemented diet (Control + AA; basal diet + 1.00 g/kg Asp + 5.00 g/kg Glu + 10.00 g/kg Gln); and the energy-restricted diet supplemented with Asp, Gln and Glu (Energy- + AA; energy deficient diet + 1.00 g/kg Asp + 5.00 g/kg Glu + 10.00 g/kg Gln). Liver samples were obtained on d 5 and 21 post-weaning. Piglets fed Energy- + AA diet had higher liver mRNA abundances of acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), as well as higher protein expression of serine/threonine protein kinase 11 (LKB1), phosphor-acetyl-CoA carboxylase (P-ACC) and SIRT1 compared with piglets fed control diet (P < 0.05) on d 5 post-weaning. Control + AA diet increased liver malic enzyme 1 (ME1) and SIRT1 mRNA levels, as well as protein expression of LKB1 and P-ACC on d 5 post-weaning (P < 0.05). On d 21 post-weaning, compared to control group, Glu, Gln and Asp supplementation up-regulated the mRNA levels of ACOX1, ME1 and SIRT1 (P < 0.05). These findings indicated that dietary Glu, Gln and Asp supplementation could improve hepatic lipid metabolism to some extent, which may provide nutritional intervention for the insufficient energy intake after weaning in piglets.