Abstract

Abstract Antibiotic growth promotor (AGP) and zinc oxide (ZnO) has been shown to inhibit bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, resulting in improved animal growth performance and reduced post-weaning diarrhea but, their usage should be minimized at pig farms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of green tea and butyric acid (hereafter called Gutluk) as alternative BSH inhibitors on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal score, blood profile, and gut microbiota of weaning pigs. A total of 192 weaned pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc)] were divided into six groups. Dietary treatments were NC, Basal diet; PC1, Basal diet + 0.2% antibiotics (colistin); PC2, Basal diet + 2,000ppm ZnO; TRT1, Basal diet + 0.05% Gutluk; TRT2, Basal diet + 0.10% Gutluk; TRT3, Basal diet + 0.20% Gutluk. After 4 wk of the trial, fresh fecal samples were collected from the rectum for microbiome analysis. TRT3 improved average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) at wk 3 and 4. The digestibility, white blood cell, red blood cell, lymphocyte percentage, blood urea nitrogen, fecal score and diarrhea score of weaned pigs were not affected by the addition of Gutluk. The treatment groups showed decreased TNF-α and IL-6 (P < 0.05) while immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG) increased (P < 0.05). GutLuk significantly enriched Bifidobacterium (P < 0.01). Conversely, GutLuk reduced the abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto 6, Marvinbryantia, and Clostridia vadinBB60 group, and marginally reducing Muribaculaceae, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus. The correlation analysis also revealed that the abundance of secondary bile acid biosynthesis had a strong positive correlation with Marvinbryantia, Enterococcus, Clostridium sensu stricto 6, Lactobacillus, and Clostridia vadinBB60 (P < 0.001). The ADG of the pigs also exhibited a slight negative correlation with secondary bile acid biosynthesis. These results indicated that the supplementation of GutLuk had an inhibitory effect on the BSH activity of certain gut microbiota. Consequently, A combination of green tea and butyric acid can be effective alternatives of AGP and ZnO in early weaning pig diet to improve growth performance, immune response, oxidative stress, diarrhea score and gut microbiota.

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