The physiological activities of fucoidan and its application in animal breeding

Lan, Yusi; Qin, Keqiang; Wu, Shengjun

doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109458

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…In the absence of in-feed AGP or ZnO, preliminary studies have shown that in-feed fucoidan supplementation extracted from a number of brown seaweed species has potential benefits for promoting health and production in weaner pigs [6,[15][16][17][18]. This can be attributed to the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of brown seaweeds and extracted fucoidan, which have been demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo models [12,14,19]. In newly weaned piglets, oxidative stress often has a pivotal role in the damage inflicted on the villi and the intestinal barrier within the small intestine [4,5,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preweaning Purified Fucoidan Drench: Effects on Growth, Immune Response, and Intestinal Morphology in Weaned Piglets

Homer,

Barekatain,

Petrovski

et al. 2024

Animals

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Weaning stress imposes considerable physiological challenges on piglets, often manifesting in intestinal disturbances, such as inflammation and compromised barrier function, ultimately affecting growth and health outcomes. While conventional interventions, including antimicrobials, have effectively mitigated these sequelae, concerns surrounding antimicrobial resistance necessitate the exploration of alternatives. Fucoidan, derived from brown seaweed, offers promise due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Previous research has been limited to the in-feed supplementation of partially purified fucoidan extracted from brown seaweed. The focus of the present study is assessing the effect of a preweaning drench with highly purified (85%) fucoidan on piglet growth, immune response, and intestinal morphology post-weaning. Forty-eight male piglets at 17 ± 3 days of age (5.67 ± 0.16 kg) were assigned to a saline (control), fucoidan, or antimicrobial group, receiving treatment as a single 18 mL oral drench three days before weaning. Monitoring for seven days post-weaning included body weight measurements, blood sample collection for the inflammatory protein assay, and small intestine morphological analysis. The findings revealed that the preweaning fucoidan drench did not elicit adverse effects on piglets. However, neither fucoidan nor antimicrobial drenches significantly enhanced growth parameters, immune markers, or intestinal morphology compared to that of the control-treated piglets (p > 0.05). The lack of response may be attributed to the high health status of the experimental cohort and the limitation of a single dosage. Future research should consider a more challenging production setting to evaluate the viability and optimal application of fucoidan as an antimicrobial alternative in the pig industry.

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