Abstract
A traditional Chinese medicine formula based on the Coix seed and Lotus seed has been used as a general treatment of malnutrition, excessive fatigue, dysfunction of the spleen and stomach, and disorders of water transport in humans in China. However, there is limited information on its effects on the gut microbiota of piglets in vivo. In this study, the mix of Coix seed and Lotus were added the diet of forty weaned piglets (local piglets), and then evaluated it’s affected on the gut microbiota of piglets and on the relations within the gut bacterial community. The results indicated that this traditional Chinese medicine formula (LM) and the extract of the traditional Chinese medicine formula (LMT) downregulated pH of succus gastricus and raised pH of the ileum, and LMT obviously decreased the feed conversion ratio. Further study showed LMT and LM also significantly increased the thick and long of gastrointestinal villi. And then, 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing revealed that groups LMT and LM have higher relative abundance of the genus Lactobacillus in the colon, succus gastricus, and jejunum, which are beneficial bacteria sold as dietary supplements to aid digestion or to augment health. Meanwhile, the relative abundance levels of Prevotellaceae, Alloprevotella, and Prevotella in the colon and Clostridium in succus gastricus and jejunum were lower. These experiments highlight the usefulness of the traditional Chinese medicine formula based on the Coix seed and Lotus seed for decreasing pH in succus gastricus, for improving the structure of intestinal villi and gut microflora, and then for achieving improvements in pig production performance.
Highlights
Even though the Coix seed is similar to the Lotus seed and contains starch as its main component, there is limited information on the effects of the ingredients of the Coix seed on the in vivo gut microbiota (Li et al, 2019 and Liu et al, 2019), and few studies have focused on the effects of a Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula based on the Coix seed and Lotus seed on gastrointestinal microbes of piglets
Following the 14 d experimental period, the highest body weight was observed in the LK group, group LM showed the lowest weight, but no differences in the average daily gain (ADG) of piglets were observed between groups LMT and LC (Fig. 1)
TCM formulations as dietary supplements have positive effects on the growth performance of piglets: previous reports have demonstrated that dietary supplementation with the TCM herbs can increase average daily feed intake and ADG, improve the gain/feed ratio, and reduce the incidence of diarrhea in weaned piglets (Chen et al, 2007; Lin et al, 2013; Xu et al, 2012; Zhao et al, 2015; Jian et al, 2007)
Summary
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an integrative result of various bioactive compounds and shows fewer adverse effects and excellent therapeutic actions and involves a broad range of medicinal practices (Normile et al, 2003; Wang et al, 2002) , which have been developed in China for thousands of years.Coix seeds are mature kernels of Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen (Roman.) Stapf (Fan et al, 2017), and Lotus seeds are mature seeds of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn (Yi et al, 2015), which are rich in starch, lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, polyphenols, phytosterols, lactams, and other bioactive ingredients and have numerous physiological and pharmacological effects fortifying the spleen; inhibiting dampness, oxidative stress, and inflammation; and regulating endocrine and immune functions (Hidaka et al, 1992; Yen et al, 2005a, b; Zhang et al, 2014; Wu et al, 2013). Ma-yuen (Roman.) Stapf (Fan et al, 2017), and Lotus seeds are mature seeds of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn (Yi et al, 2015), which are rich in starch, lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, polyphenols, phytosterols, lactams, and other bioactive ingredients and have numerous physiological and pharmacological effects fortifying the spleen; inhibiting dampness, oxidative stress, and inflammation; and regulating endocrine and immune functions (Hidaka et al, 1992; Yen et al, 2005a, b; Zhang et al, 2014; Wu et al, 2013). Some studies revealed that oligosaccharides and resistant starch of Lotus can stimulate the growth of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium as well as Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Clostridium, respectively, and inhibit the growth of Rikenellaceae and Porphyromonadaceae in the human gut (Zhang et al, 2013, 2014; Zeng et al, 2018). Even though the Coix seed is similar to the Lotus seed and contains starch as its main component, there is limited information on the effects of the ingredients of the Coix seed on the in vivo gut microbiota (Li et al, 2019 and Liu et al, 2019), and few studies have focused on the effects of a TCM formula based on the Coix seed and Lotus seed on gastrointestinal microbes of piglets
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