Water extract of Artemisia ordosica enhances antioxidant capability and immune response without affecting growth performance in weanling piglets

Abstract

The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of water extract of Artemisia ordosica (WEAO) on growth performance, antioxidant capability and immune response in weanling piglets. Seventy‐two 28‐day‐old weanling piglets were randomly allocated into four treatments with six replicate pens per treatment and three piglets per pen (n = 18). These four treatment diets were formulated by adding 0, 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg WEAO to the basal diet. The experiment lasted for 28 days. Body weight and feed intake were measured. Blood samples were collected to determine immune and antioxidative parameters. The experimental results showed that WEAO supplementation improved the apparent nutrient digestibility of piglets in a linear or quadratic dose‐dependent manner. In addition, dietary WEAO quadratically increased serum concentrations of cytokines interleukin (IL)‐1, IL‐4, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, soluble surface antigen CD8 (sCD8), immunoglobulins (Ig)‐A and linearly increased serum concentrations of IL‐2, IL‐6, IgG, IgM. Furthermore, dietary WEAO linearly or quadratically decreased serum concentrations of malondialdehyde but quadratically increased activities of antioxidant enzymes and total antioxidative capacity. These results suggested that WEAO may prove useful as a natural phytogenic feed additive with antioxidative potential and could be incorporated into diets of piglets.

Artemisia annua L. Aqueous Extract Promotes Intestine Immunity and Antioxidant Function in Broilers

“…Liu et al (5) found that dietary plant extract (natural capsicum extracts) improved growth performance, immune and antioxidative functions of broilers, and suggested that the extract could be used as an effective alternative to antibiotics in broilers. It is worth noting that Artemisia plant extracts are rich in a variety of bioactive constituents, which can promote the growth, immune function, and antioxidant capacity of broilers (6)(7)(8).…”

Effects of Total Flavonoids of Artemisia ordosica on Growth Performance, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidant Status of Lipopolysaccharide-Challenged Broilers

“…[ 18 ]. In addition, owing to their high nutritional value and abundance of flavonoids [ 19 ], terpenoids [ 20 ], polysaccharides [ 21 ], sterols [ 22 ], coumarins [ 23 ], acetylenes [ 24 ], and other bioactive compositions, mainly flavonoid and terpenoid compounds [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], A. ordosica and their extracts have multiple pharmacological activities, including antimicrobial [ 30 ], antioxidative [ 31 ], anti-inflammatory [ 32 ], immunomodulatory [ 33 ], and, therefore, can be efficiently applied in poultry and animal production to promote health. Our previous studies have verified that A. ordosica aqueous extracts, mainly comprised of flavonoids, terpenoids, organic acids, and polysaccharides, could effectively improve the growth and antioxidant capacity of broilers and weanling piglets [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Optimization extraction and characterization of Artemisia ordosica polysaccharide and its beneficial effects on antioxidant function and gut microbiota in rats

“…Our previous study demonstrated the growth promoting and immune regulatory effect of water extracts from Artemisia ordosica on broilers and piglets. 2,3 However, the specic compounds of Artemisia ordosica water extracts that have the anti-inammatory and antioxidant effect remain unclear.…”

“…It has shown that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in nutrient uptake, utilization, and metabolism, which may contribute to metabolic diseases. [10][11][12] Hence, based on our previous study of Artemisia ordosica in animals 2,3 and the ndings of other researchers, we hypothesized that Artemisia ordosica polysaccharide (AOP) in diets could affect antioxidative capacity and gut microbiota in animals and further exploration is imperative. The objective of this study was to investigate the optimized extraction conditions of AOP.…”