Feed ingredients of plant origin are commonly used in swine diets. However, the major components of plant cell walls, non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs), reduce nutrient digestibility. To improve the efficiency of feed utilization, exogenous enzyme products that degrade NSPs have been widely used in commercial animal feeds. Nonetheless, the effects of exogenous enzyme addition to swine diets on nutrient digestibility have not been determined. To this end, in vitro approaches may be used. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of an enzyme complex (EC) containing xylanase, protease, and phytase on the in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility of nine feed ingredients including cereal grain energy sources (corn, wheat, and barley) and protein sources (soybean meal, rapeseed meal, palm kernel meal, cottonseed meal, copra meal, and distillers dried grains with solubles). Both in vitro ileal and total tract digestibility (IVID and IVTTD, respectively) of DM were determined for the nine test ingredients, with or without EC addition. The EC addition increased the IVID of DM in copra meal (p = 0.047) and tended to increase the IVID of DM in corn, wheat, barley, palm kernel meal, cottonseed meal, and DDGS (p < 0.10). On the other hand, no significant effect was observed in soybean meal and rapeseed meal. The IVTTD of DM in the test ingredients was not affected by the addition of EC, except for cottonseed meal (52.1 vs. 50.6%, p = 0.053). In conclusion, the effects of EC addition on in vitro DM digestibility may vary, depending on the test ingredient and method used.

ObjectiveAn experiment was conducted to determine digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) of different byproduct feed ingredients fed to growing pigs, and to generate prediction equations for the DE and ME in feed ingredients.MethodsTwelve barrows with an initial mean body weight of 31.8 kg were individually housed in metabolism crates that were equipped with a feeder and a nipple drinker. A 12×10 incomplete Latin square design was employed with 12 dietary treatments, 10 periods, and 12 animals. A basal diet was prepared to mainly contain the corn and soybean meal (SBM). Eleven additional diets were formulated to contain 30% of each test ingredient. All diets contained the same proportion of corn:SBM ratio at 4.14:1. The difference procedure was used to calculate the DE and ME in experimental ingredients. The in vitro dry matter disappearance for each test ingredient was determined.ResultsThe DE and ME values in the SBM sources were greater (p<0.05) than those in other ingredients except high-protein distillers dried grains. However, DE and ME values in tapioca distillers dried grains (TDDG) were the lowest (p<0.05). The most suitable regression equations for the DE and ME concentrations (kcal/kg on the dry matter [DM] basis) in the test ingredients were: DE = 5,528–(156×ash)–(32.4×neutral detergent fiber [NDF]) with root mean square error = 232, R2 = 0.958, and p<0.001; ME = 5,243–(153 ash)–(30.7×NDF) with root mean square error = 277, R2 = 0.936, and p<0.001. All independent variables are in % on the DM basis.ConclusionThe energy concentrations were greater in the SBM sources and were the least in the TDDG. The ash and NDF concentrations can be used to estimate the energy concentrations in the byproducts from oil-extraction and distillation processes.

ObjectiveThe objective was to determine standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) in 11 plant protein sources fed to growing pigs.MethodsEleven feed ingredients used were sesame meal, two sources of soybean meal (SBM) produced in the Republic of Korea, a source of SBM produced in India, high-protein distillers dried grains (HPDDG), perilla meal, canola meal, copra meal, corn germ meal, palm kernel expeller, and tapioca distillers dried grains (TDDG). Experimental diets were prepared to contain each test ingredient as a sole source of AA, and a nitrogen-free diet was also prepared to estimate the basal ileal endogenous losses of AA. Twelve barrows surgically fitted with T-cannulas at the distal ileum with an initial body weight of 29.0 kg (standard deviation = 3.0) were individually housed in metabolism crates equipped with a feeder and a nipple drinker. A 12×9 incomplete Latin square design was employed with 12 experimental diets, 12 animals, and 9 periods. After a 5-d adaptation period, ileal digesta were collected on d 6 and 7 in each experimental period.ResultsValues for apparent ileal digestibility of most indispensable AA in three sources of SBM were greater compared with other test ingredients except HPDDG and canola meal (p<0.05). Pigs fed diets containing SBM sources had also greater SID of most indispensable AA compared with those fed diets containing other test ingredients (p<0.05) except for HPDDG and canola meal. There was no difference in the apparent ileal digestibility and SID of AA among sources of SBM. The TDDG had the least value for the SID of methionine among test ingredients (p<0.05).ConclusionThe SID of most AA in SBM, HPDDG, and canola meal were greater than those in sesame meal, perilla meal, copra meal, and TDDG.

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Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of enzyme complex on in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility for feed ingredients. The objective of experiment 1 was to screen feed ingredients that can be effective substrates for an enzyme complex, mainly consisted of β-pentosanase, β-glucanase and α-amylase, using in vitro digestibility methods. In experiment 1, the test ingredients were three grain sources (barley, corn and wheat) and six protein supplements (canola meal, copra expellers, cottonseed meal, distillers dried grains with solubles, palm kernel expellers and soybean meal). In vitro ileal and total tract digestibility (IVID and IVTTD, respectively) of DM for test ingredients were determined. In vitro digestibility methods consisted of two- or three-step procedure simulating in vivo digestion in the pig gastrointestinal tracts with or without enzyme complex. As the enzyme complex added, the IVID of DM for corn and wheat increased (p < 0.05) by 5.0 and 2.6 percentage unit, respectively. The IVTTD of DM for corn increased (p < 0.05) by 3.1 percentage unit with enzyme complex addition. As the effect of enzyme complex was the greatest in corn digestibility, corn grains were selected to determine the in vitro digestibility of the fractions (starch, germ, hull and gluten) that maximally respond to the enzyme complex in experiment 2. The IVID of DM for corn starch, germ and hull increased (p < 0.05) by 16.0, 2.8 and 1.2 percentage unit, respectively. The IVTTD of DM for corn starch and hull also increased (p < 0.05) by 8.6 and 0.9 percentage unit, respectively, with enzyme complex addition. In conclusion, the enzyme complex increases in vitro DM digestibility of corn and wheat, and the digestibility increments of corn are mainly attributed to the increased digestibility of corn starch.

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In this study, we investigated whether total saponin extract (TSE), ginsenoside Rb1, and Rb1 metabolite compound K, which are isolated from red ginseng, have antinociceptive effects on peripheral and central neuropathic pain (PNP and CNP, respectively). PNP and CNP were induced by tail nerve injury (TNI) at S1 and by contusive spinal cord injury (SCI) at T9 in male Sprague–Dawley rats, respectively. Two weeks after TNI or 4 weeks after SCI, pain‐induced rats were orally administered vehicle, TSE (50 mg/kg), Rb1 (12.5 mg/kg), compound K (7 mg/kg), or gabapentin (GBP, 60 mg/kg), and the antinociceptive effects were examined by von Frey filament, cold/warm water, and hot plate analyses. Allodynia and hyperalgesia were significantly alleviated by TSE, Rb1, and GBP 1 hr after drug administration. The immunohistochemistry and real‐time RT‐PCR results showed that the activation of microglia/astrocytes and the expression of inflammatory mediators such as Il‐1β, Il‐6, iNOS, and Cox‐2 were also significantly inhibited in L4‐L5 spinal cord of CNP‐induced rats 1 hr after drug administration. Furthermore, the antinociceptive effects of TSE and Rb1 were reversed by treatment with the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI182780. In particular, compound K also significantly alleviated both PNP and CNP. Therefore, our results indicate that TSE, Rb1, and compound K have potential antinociceptive effects against neuropathic pain that might be mediated through the ER.

BackgroundDiabetic neuropathy is one of the most devastating ailments of the peripheral nervous system. Neuropathic pain develops in ∼30% of diabetics. Here, we examined the suppressive effect of GS-KG9 on neuropathic pain induced by streptozotocin (STZ).MethodsHyperglycemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ. Rats showing blood glucose level > 250 mg/dL were divided into five groups, and treatment groups received oral saline containing GS-KG9 (50 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, or 300 mg/kg) twice daily for 4 wk. The effects of GS-KG9 on pain behavior, microglia activation in the lumbar spinal cord and ventral posterolateral (VPL) nucleus of the thalamus, and c-Fos expression in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord were examined.ResultsThe development of neuropathic pain began at Day 5 and peaked at Week 4 after STZ injection. Mechanical and thermal pains were both significantly attenuated in GS-KG9-treated groups from 10 d after STZ injection as compared to those in the STZ control. GS-KG9 also repressed microglia activation in L4 dorsal horn and VPL region of the thalamus. In addition, increase in c-Fos-positive cells within L4 dorsal horn lamina I and II of the STZ control group was markedly alleviated by GS-KG9.ConclusionThese results suggest that GS-KG9 effectively relieves STZ-induced neuropathic pain by inhibiting microglial activation in the spinal cord dorsal horn and VPL region of the thalamus.