Abstract
Simple SummaryMost studies on dietary fiber mainly focus on the digestibility of feed nutrients and microbial flora, etc. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the regulation of immune and oxidative stress of the intestinal tract by dietary fiber. This study investigated the effects of varying levels of defatted rice bran replacing corn on physiological, intestinal barrier, and oxidative stress parameters in finishing pigs. Based on the current findings, a high diet of rice bran will not only reduce the level of inflammatory factors in the peripheral blood of finishing pigs, but also enhance the healthy level of the colon through mucin2 and keap1-Nrf2 pathways. Our results can be used as reference for dietary rice bran to improve intestinal health in finishing pigs.Rice bran is a waste product with low cost and high fiber content, giving it an added advantage over corn and soybean meal, which have to be purchased and always at a relatively higher cost. Under the background of increased attention to sustainable agriculture, it is significant to find alternative uses for this byproduct. A total of 35 finishing pigs were allotted to five dietary treatments: a control group with basal diet and four experimental diets where corn was equivalently substituted by 7%, 14%, 21%, and 28% defatted rice bran (DFRB), respectively. With increasing levels of DFRB, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) linearly decreased (p < 0.05). In the jejunum, the mRNA level of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor-2 (Nrf2) exhibited a quadratic response (p < 0.01) with incremental levels of DFRB. In the colon, the mRNA levels of mucin 2 (MUC2), Nrf2, and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were upregulated (linear, p < 0.05) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was upregulated (linear, p < 0.01). Overall, using DFRB to replace corn decreased the inflammatory biomarkers of serum and showed potential function in modulating the intestinal barrier by upregulating the mRNA expression levels of MUC2 and downregulating that of Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 in the colon.
Highlights
Corn and soybean meal are the main feedstuffs for pigs, providing balanced nutrients [1]
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of defatted rice bran (DFRB) on physiological, intestinal barrier, and oxidative stress parameters in finishing pigs, providing reference for the reasonable addition of DFRB in the diet of finishing pigs
With the DFRB level increased in the diets, neutrophils percentage decreased, lymphocytes percentage linearly increased (p < 0.05), and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) linearly decreased (p < 0.05)
Summary
Corn and soybean meal are the main feedstuffs for pigs, providing balanced nutrients [1]. With increasing demands for conventional feedstuffs by pig production, more attention is paid to alternative and locally available feedstuffs. Rice bran is one of the co-products of rice processing and is a combined layer of pericarp, seed coat, aleurone layer, and embryo [2]. The decreasing cost of rice production and increasing supply of corn make rice bran an appealing candidate for alternative feedstuffs. Rice bran contains lipoxygenases that break down the fatty acids present in the bran, which would eventually result in a detrimental effect on its flavor [3]. In order to prevent rice bran from oxidation, defatted rice bran (DFRB) has been used in practical production
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