Effect of antibiotic-free, low-protein diets with specific amino acid compositions on growth and intestinal flora in weaned pigs

Xiao

et al. 2020

Preprint

BackgroundEucommia ulmoides flavones (EUF), have been demonstrated to attenuate the inflammation and oxidative stress of piglets. This study was designed to test whether EUF could be as an antibiotic alternative to support growth performance and maintain intestinal health in weanling-piglets.Weaned-piglets (n = 480) were assigned into 3 groups and fed with a low-protein basal diet (NC), or supplementation with antibiotics (PC) or 0.1‰ EUF (EUF). Blood, intestinal contents and intestine were collected on d-15 and d-35, respectively. ResultsThe results showed that the body weight on d-35, average daily gain and gain : feed from d 15 to d 35 and d 0 to d 35 in piglets of PC and EUF treatments were higher than (p < 0.05) these in NC treatment, whereas PC and EUF treatments decreased (p < 0.05) the diarrhea index of weanling piglets. Dietary supplementation of EUF significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) the serum concentrations of total protein, alanine transaminase and the immunoglobulin G on d-15 of piglets compared to piglets in NC treatment. EUF supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the jejunal and ileal villus height and the population of ileal lactic acid bacteria on d-15 but remarkable decreased (p < 0.05) the population of ileal coliform bacteria on d-15 and d-35. ConclusionThese findings indicated the antibiotic alternative capacity of EUF in piglets exhibiting by improving growth performance and intestinal morphology, decreasing colonization of coliform bacteria and diarrhea index in weanling piglets.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Eucommia Ulmoides Flavones as Antibiotic Alternatives in a Low-protein Diet Improve Growth Performance and Intestinal Health in Weaning Piglets

Yuan

Xiao

et al. 2020

Preprint

“…Pluske et al (27) suggests that the fermentation of undigested protein and amino acids might be important factors contributing to the post-weaning diarrhea. While reducing the dietary protein levels could help to alleviate the diarrhea, as well as mitigate the alternation of intestinal morphology induced by pathogenic bacteria (21,28). Thus, in this study low protein diet was used as basal diet to maintain the normal absorption and digestion capacity of enterocytes and improve gut health (29,30).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of EUF as antibiotic alternative in a low-protein diet on growth performance and intestinal health of weaning piglets. The low-protein diet was used in this study to promote gut health and maintain the normal digestion and absorption capacities of enterocytes without impairing the growth performance of piglets in piglets (21). Growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal morphology and microbiota composition were monitored so as to provide the scienti c basis for the application of EUF in antibiotics-free diets in swine production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eucommia Ulmoides Flavones as Potential Alternatives to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in a Low-protein Diet Improve Growth Performance and Intestinal Health in Weaning Piglets

Yuan

Xiao

et al. 2020

Preprint

Background: Eucommia ulmoides flavones (EUF), have been demonstrated to attenuate the inflammation and oxidative stress of piglets. This study was designed to test whether EUF could be used as an antibiotic growth promoter alternative to support growth performance and maintain intestinal health in weanling-piglets. Weaned-piglets (n = 480) were assigned into 3 groups and fed with a low-protein basal diet (NC), or supplementation with antibiotics (75 mg/kg quinocetone, 20 mg/kg virginomycin and 50 mg/kg aureomycin, PC) or 0.01% EUF (EUF). Blood, intestinal contents and intestine were collected on d-15 and d-35 after weaning, respectively. Results: The results showed that the body weight on d-35, average daily gain and gain : feed ratio from d 15 to d 35 and d 0 to d 35 in piglets of PC and EUF treatments were higher than (P < 0.05) these in NC treatment, whereas the initial body weight among 3 treatments were consistent. PC and EUF treatments decreased (P < 0.05) the diarrhea index of weanling piglets. Dietary supplementation of EUF significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) the serum concentrations of total protein, alanine transaminase and the immunoglobulin G on d-15 of piglets compared to piglets in NC treatment. EUF supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the jejunal villus height : crypt depth ratio, jejunal and ileal villus height and the population of ileal lactic acid bacteria on d-15 but remarkable decreased (P < 0.05) the population of ileal coliform bacteria on d-15 and d-35. Conclusion: These findings indicated the EUF, as the potential alternative to in-feed antibiotic growth promoter, could improve growth performance and intestinal morphology, decreasing colonization of coliform bacteria and diarrhea index in weanling piglets.

“…43 Plasma urea is usually low when the diet has a higher nutritional value of protein or the AA profile meets the demands of the host. 44 In our study, the broilers were fed the same basal diet and the protein and AA levels are not different. Thus, the lower plasma urea level in broilers fed a CE-supplemented diet may indicate that the nitrogen utilization efficiency in the CE group broilers was much higher than that in the control group.…”

Section: Ce Improved Growth Performance and Changed Plasma Biochemicamentioning

confidence: 95%

Dietary supplementation with citrus extract alters the plasma parameters, circulating amino acid profiles and gene expression of small intestinal nutrient transporters in Chinese yellow‐feathered broilers

et al. 2020

J Sci Food Agric

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the effects of citrus extract (CE) on growth performance, plasma amino acid (AA) profiles, intestinal development and small intestine AA and peptide transporter expression levels in broilers. A total of 540 one-day-old yellow-feathered broilers were fed a basal diet without any antibiotic (control group), or a basal diet containing 10 mg kg −1 zinc bacitracin (antibiotic group), or a basal diet supplemented with 10 mg kg −1 CE (CE group). After 63 days of feeding, two broilers per pen were slaughtered to collect tissues for further analysis. RESULTS: Results showed that CE increased (P < 0.05) the final body weight and average daily gain from day 1 to 63, and decreased (P < 0.05) the feed/gain ratio from day 1 to 63. Dietary CE supplementation increased (P < 0.05) plasma total protein, albumin and glucose concentration, and decreased (P < 0.05) urea concentration. CE supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the villus height in the ileum and the villus height/crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum, but decreased (P < 0.05) the crypt depth in the jejunum and ileum. CE supplementation increased (P < 0.05) most plasma essential AA concentrations. Additionally, CE supplementation upregulated (P < 0.05) ASCT1, b 0,+ AT, B 0 AT1, EAAT3, rBAT, y + LAT2 and PepT1 expression in the jejunum, and b 0,+ AT, EAAT3, rBAT, y + LAT2, CAT1 and PepT1 in the ileum. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our results indicated that CE supplementation promotes intestinal physiological absorption of AAs by upregulating gene expression of small intestinal key AA and peptide transporters, thereby enhancing the growth performance of broilers.