Abstract
Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound present in turmeric with extensive uses in cooking foods and biomedical applications. However, due to its hydrophobic nature, it is poorly soluble in water and its bioavailability is very low on oral administration in organisms. In this study, we investigated the dietary curcumin nanospheres in a weaned piglet model based on the growth, serum biochemistry, proteomics, fecal coliform bacteria, and malodors in the feces of piglets. A total of 135 weaned piglets (Duroc × [Yorkshire × Landrace]) with an average initial body weight of 7.0 ± 1.0 kg (28 ± 1 days of age) were randomly distributed in 9 pens (15 pigs in each pen) fed the dietary curcumin nanospheres (CN) at 0 (control), 0.5 (T1), and 1.0 mL (T2) CN/kg of diet in triplicates for 21 days. At the end of the feeding trial, the results showed piglets fed 1.0 mL CN/kg diet had significantly higher growth performance and feed utilization than control diet (without CN). However, there were no significant differences in growth and feed utilization between piglets fed T1 and T2 diets. Serum glucose, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, amylase, and lipase contents were unaffected in piglets fed the experimental diets. Interestingly, piglets fed T1 and T2 diets showed significantly lower total cholesterol levels than control diet. In serum proteomics, a total of 103 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the piglets fed control, T1, and T2 diets, of which 14 DEPs were upregulated and 4 DEPs were downregulated. Fecal coliform bacteria and ammonia gas were significantly reduced in piglets fed T1 and T2 diets. Overall, the results indicated dietary supplementation of CN could enhance the growth, feed utilization, and immunity—and reduce fecal pathogenic bacteria as well as ammonia gas emissions—in weaned piglets.
Highlights
Curcumin is a lipophilic polyphenolic phytocompound present in the herbal plant, Curcuma longa which has been widely used as turmeric powder in Southeast Asian countries [1]
At the end of the 21-day feeding trial, piglets fed with the T2 diet (1.0 mL curcumin nanospheres (CN)/kg) showed significantly higher growth performance in terms of final weight (FW), weight gain (WG), and average daily gain (ADG) than those of the piglets fed control (C) diet (p < 0.05)
For the molecular function analysis of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the piglets fed C, T1, and T2 diets (Figure 2), the results showed that the DEPs were exclusively associated with anion binding, carbohydrate derivative binding, endopeptidase inhibitor activity, enzyme inhibitor activity, and serine-type endopeptidase inhibitor activity, where the number of the proteins were slightly higher in the piglets fed T1 diet than in the piglets fed C diet
Summary
Curcumin is a lipophilic polyphenolic phytocompound present in the herbal plant, Curcuma longa which has been widely used as turmeric powder in Southeast Asian countries [1]. Nanopharmaceutics or nanomedicines are usually developed on the nanosize and its physicochemical characteristics, pharmacokinetics as well as biological activity at molecular level [15] In this regard, nanocurcumin which coined as particle sizes of curcumin with less than 1 μm, has a great importance as nanomedicine in pharmaceutical and biomedical science [16]. The nanosizing of curcumin and its effective delivery in organisms is the prime concern in suggesting the potentiality of nanocurmin. In this case, the use of carrier vesicles or nanocarriers could offer a promising approach in terms of effective biodistribution of nanocurcumin as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in organisms [15]. Liposomal nanoparticles consisting in phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylserine and containing curcumin exerted their potential in terms of oral delivery for bioavailability, antioxidant properties, and treatment of hepatic fibrosis [26,29]
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