Abstract
Abstract Understanding roles of prescribed in-feed therapeutic multi-antimicrobials in affecting the small intestinal terminal starch digestive enzyme activity in improving weaning pig growth and feed utilization may shed light on developing novel alternative strategies to reduce uses of antimicrobials. A total of 125 crossbred barrows, weaned on d 19–21 with an average initial BW of 6.9 ± 0.1 kg, were randomly assigned to two corn, SBM and dried whey powder based diets for 21 d according to a randomized complete block design. The multi-antimicrobial diet was supplemented with aureomycin 220, tiamulin 31.2 and ZnO 2,358 at mg/kg diet. The growth performances including final BW (control, 13.9 ± 0.2 vs. antimicrobials, 15.0 ± 0.2 kg), ADG (control, 0.307 ± 0.009 vs. antimicrobials, 0.355 ± 0.009 kg/d), ADFI (control, 0.425 ± 0.012 vs. antimicrobials, 0.455 ± 0.013 kg/d) and F:G (control, 1.39 ± 0.03 vs. antimicrobials, 1.28 ± 0.03 kg/kg) were improved (P < 0.05; n = 25 pens; 5 barrows/pen) compared to the non-antimicrobial control diet. The combined enzyme kinetics of the jejunal and the ileal maltase-glucoamylase (MGA) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) activity were determined with the jejunal and the ileal homogenates by using maltose (0–60 mM in incubation mixture). The combined jejunal and the ileal MGA-SI affinity Km values and the combined jejunal MGA-SI maximal activity Vmax values were not different (P > 0.05) between the two diet groups. However, the combined ileal MGA-SI Vmax (nmol·mg protein-1·min-1) was increased in the antimicrobial diet (P < 0.05; control, 125.6 ± 10.84, n = 13 pigs vs. antimicrobials, 170.8 ± 12.15, n = 11 pigs) in comparison with the control diet. The Pearson’s correlation analyses revealed that the combined ileal MGA-IS Vmax of hydrolyzing maltose was associated with ADG (P = 0.0669; r = 0.38; n = 24 pigs) and feed efficiency (F:G; P < 0.05; r = -0.53; n = 24 pigs). Our results suggest that in-feed therapeutic multi-antimicrobials could improve the distal small intestinal terminal starch digestive enzyme MGA-SI activity, thus improving growth and feed efficiency in weaning pigs.
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