Changes in Diarrhea Score, Nutrient Digestibility, Zinc Utilization, Intestinal Immune Profiles, and Fecal Microbiome in Weaned Piglets by Different Forms of Zinc

Abstract

Twenty weaned piglets with initial body weight of 6.83 ± 0.33 kg (21 day of age, LYD) were randomly assigned to four treatments for a two-week feeding trial to determine the effects of different dietary zinc on nutrient digestibility, intestinal health, and microbiome of weaned piglets. The dietary treatments included a negative control (CON), standard ZnO (ZnO, 2500 ppm), zinc chelate with glycine (Chelate-ZnO, 200 ppm), and nanoparticle-sized ZnO (Nano-ZnO, 200 ppm). At 0 to 1 week, the diarrhea score was decreased in the CON group compared with the ZnO, Chelate-ZnO, and Nano-ZnO group. In overall period, the ZnO and Nano-ZnO groups exhibited improved diarrhea scores compared to the CON group. The apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and gross energy was the lowest in the CON group after one week. Compared to the ZnO group, the chelate-ZnO group exhibited higher proportion of T-bet+ and FoxP3+ T cells and the nano-ZnO group had higher numbers of RORgt+ and GATA3+ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes. ZnO group increased IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the colon tissues and these positive effects were observed in both chelate ZnO and nano-ZnO groups with lower level. The 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that the relative abundance of Prevotella was higher in the ZnO-treated groups than in the CON group and that of Succinivibrio was the highest in the nano-ZnO group. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased in the ZnO group. In conclusion, low nano-ZnO levels have similar effects on nutrient digestibility, fecal microflora, and intestinal immune profiles in weaning pigs; thus, nano-ZnO could be used as a ZnO alternative for promoting ZnO utilization and intestinal immunity.

Effects of Replacing Medical Zinc Oxide with Different Ratios of Inorganic: Organic Zinc or Reducing Crude Protein Diet with Mixed Feed Additives in Weaned Piglet Diets

“…In our study, the zinc utilization in the zinc-added treatment groups was highest at an IZ:OZ of 500:500 mg/kg, and the zinc utilization increased as the ratio of IZ replaced with OZ increased. This was consistent with previous studies [ 10 , 56 , 57 ]. Star et al [ 56 ] described that OZ bioavailability was increased compared to IZ owing to the nutrient transport system in the intestine, such as the amino acid or peptide transport systems.…”

“…Many researchers and our previous study found that OZ had higher bioavailability than IZ. Moreover, a low dose of OZ could replace IZ such as ZnO and ZnSO 4 [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Barszcz et al [ 37 ] reported that OZ formulations improved growth performance and increased feed intake compared to inorganic sources.…”

“…In our previous study, we conducted different forms of Zn such as Zn chelated with glycine and nano-particle size to replace high doses of inorganic Zn (IZ) in weaned piglet diets [ 10 ]. In our results, organic zinc (OZ) chelated with glycine had a higher utilization in weaned piglets than IZ and nanoparticle-sized zinc [ 10 ]. Moreover, many studies suggested that OZ has high stability and bioavailability, and it prevented precipitation compared to IZ [ 6 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Comparative Effect of Potentiated Zinc Oxide and Antibiotic Growth Promoters on Intestinal Morphometry and Nutrient Digestibility in Broiler Chickens

“…In a study by Han and Thacker (2010), they observed that pigs fed AGP supplemented diet exhibited significantly (P<0.01) higher digestibility coefficients for dry matter than pigs fed diets supplemented ZnO; while no significant difference was observed for crude protein and energy. In other studies, improvement in nutrient digestibility was observed with the supplementation of ZnO due to the improved activation of digestive enzymes such as amylase, carboxypeptidases, chymotrypsin, trypsin and lipase in the small intestine and pancreatic tissue (Oh et al, 2021). While for AGPs, Modi et al (2011) cited that AGPs also increase digestibility of proteins by reducing the proteolytic enzyme secretion by the bacteria.…”

Antibiotic Resistance: From Pig to Meat

“…Research is being done to try to find more eco-responsible forms of zinc to retain the benefit of ZnO. For example, Oh et al demonstrated that 200 ppm of ZnO nanoparticles have the same effect as 2500 ppm of ZnO [145].…”