The effects of dietary supplementation with porous zinc oxide on growth performance, intestinal microbiota, morphology, and permeability in weaned piglets

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with porous zinc oxide (HiZox) on growth performance, intestinal microbiota, morphology, and permeability in weaned piglets. A total of 128 weaned piglets [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] with an average body weight (BW) of (6.55 ± 0.25 kg; 21 d of age) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: (1) a corn‐soybean basal diet; (2) basal diet + 3,000 mg/kg conventional ZnO; (3) basal diet + 200 mg/kg HiZox; (4) basal diet + 500 mg/kg HiZox. The experiments lasted for 28 days. Incremental HiZox in the diet increased ADG (linear p = 0.015; quadratic p = 0.043) and ADFI (linear p = 0.027; quadratic p = 0.038), and the diarrhea index decreased linearly and quadratically (p < 0.01) as HiZox supplemented increased. Furthermore, supplementation with HiZox increased the amounts of Lactobacillus spp. (p < 0.05) in the ileum and cecum in comparison with that of control treatment or 3,000 mg/kg ZnO treatment, while decreased the populations of Escherichia coli, Clostridium coccoides, and Clostridium. leptum subgroup (p < 0.05) in the ileum and cecum relative to those in control treatment. The addition of HiZox increased the villus height and villus‐to‐crypt ratio (VC) of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum (p < 0.05), while decreased the crypt depth of jejunum (p < 0.05) and tended to reduce the crypt depth of duodenum (p < 0.10) compared with the control treatment. Piglets fed with 500 mg/kg HiZox had lower serum D‐lactate and diamine oxidase (DAO) than those fed with basal control diet or 3,000 mg/kg ZnO diet (p < 0.01). The results suggested that supplementation with HiZox modulated intestinal microbial composition and improved intestinal morphology, which may exert protective effects on the integrity of the mucosal barrier function of weaned piglets, was as efficacious as pharmaceutical doses of ZnO in enhancing growth performance, indicating that the HiZox may be a promising alternative to pharmaceutical doses of ZnO.

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

“…Zinc administration influences the development of the intestinal tissue structure and immune system. Many studies have reported that the administration of zinc oxide for over three weeks changes intestinal morphology [ 13 , 56 , 57 ]. Some studies also reported that after a two-week experiment, the morphology of the jejunum differs between piglets treated with a high dose of ZnO (2000–2250 ppm) compared to those in the negative control or treated with a low dose of different types of zinc oxide [ 58 , 59 ].…”

Dietary Lactoferrin Supplementation Improves Growth Performance and Intestinal Health of Juvenile Orange-Spotted Groupers (Epinephelus coioides)

“…The intestinal tract is not only the place where nutrients are digested and absorbed [ 63 ] but also a site of immune defense, an important barrier against exogenous pathogens [ 64 ]. D-Lac and ET are the products secreted by the inherent bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract, and increases in their concentrations in the blood reflect the dysregulation of the intestinal flora and impaired permeability [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. In this study, the intestinal D-Lac and ET contents increased in the diets SBM60 vs. that in the diets FM.…”

Effects of Dietary Valine Chelated Zinc Supplementation on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, Immunity, and Intestine Health in Weaned Piglets

“…At the beginning and end of the experiment, all piglets were weighed individually, and residual feed was collected and weighed for each pen; ADG, ADFI, and FCR were calculated. Occurrences of diarrhea were recorded every day at 09:00 using the scoring system described by Yang et al [ 15 ]. The scoring system was applied to determine the rate of diarrhea as follows: 0 = hard feces; 1 = slightly soft feces; 2 = soft, partially formed feces; 3 = loose, semiliquid feces; 4 = watery, mucous-like feces.…”