Abstract
Human infants or piglets are vulnerable to intestinal microbe-caused disorders and inflammation due to their rapidly changing gut microbiota and immaturity of their immune systems at weaning. Resveratrol and curcumin have significant anti-inflammatory, bacteria-regulating and immune-promoting effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dietary supplementation with resveratrol and curcumin can change the intestinal microbiota and alleviate intestinal inflammation induced by weaning in piglets. One hundred eighty piglets weaned at 21 ± 2 d were fed a control diet (CON group) or supplemented diet (300 mg/kg of antibiotics, ANT group; 300 mg/kg of resveratrol and curcumin, respectively, HRC group; 100 mg/kg of resveratrol and curcumin, respectively, LRC group; 300 mg/kg of resveratrol, RES group; 300 mg/kg of curcumin, CUR group) for 28 days. The results showed that compared with the CON group, curcumin alone and antibiotics decreased the copy numbers of Escherichia coli. Both curcumin and resveratrol down-regulated the level of Toll-like-receptor 4 mRNA and protein expression in the intestine to inhibit the release of critical inflammation molecules (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α), and increase the secretion of immunoglobulin. Our results suggested that curcumin and resveratrol can regulate weaned piglet gut microbiota, down-regulate the TLR4 signaling pathway, alleviate intestinal inflammation, and ultimately increase intestinal immune function.
Highlights
The intestinal tract is the organ of food absorption and digestion, and the largest host defense organ
The intestine is a microbial ecosystem with a large body of microbes, which contributes to the development and function of the intestinal immune system [1,2]
A multitude of studies have shown that intestinal microbes are closely linked to nutrient absorption and the body’s immune function [3,4,5], and intestinal microbes can directly affect the health of the intestinal mucosa which in turn affects the health of other organs and organisms [6,7]
Summary
The intestinal tract is the organ of food absorption and digestion, and the largest host defense organ. A multitude of studies have shown that intestinal microbes are closely linked to nutrient absorption and the body’s immune function [3,4,5], and intestinal microbes can directly affect the health of the intestinal mucosa which in turn affects the health of other organs and organisms [6,7]. Piglets often suffer major stress at weaning. Weaning in piglets leads to infectious diarrhea, low feed intakes, weight loss, serious intestinal morphology damage, intestinal flora disorder, and intestinal inflammation, due to the change of diet and environment [8,9,10]
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