Abstract
Recently, herbal extracts have been applied in multiple aspects, such as medicine and animal feed. Different compositions of herbal extract mixture (HEM) have various components and diverse functions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of HEM (Lonicera japonica, Astragalus membranaceus, Eucommia folium, and Codonopsis pilosula) on intestinal antioxidant capacity and colonic microbiota in weaned pigs. A total of 18 piglets [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)] with the initial body weight of 5.99 ± 0.13 kg (weaned at 21 days) were randomly divided into two groups (n = 9): the control group (CON, basal diet) and the HEM treatment group (HEM, 1,000 mg/kg HEM + basal diet). The experiment period lasted for 14 days. Our results showed that dietary supplementation with HEM modulated the antioxidant capacity through decreasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the ileum and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in the serum, and decreasing the mRNA expression of Kelch like-ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) in the jejunum and the protein level of Keap1 in the ileum. Moreover, the HEM group modified the composition of colonic microbiota with affecting relative abundances of the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes at the phylum level. Taken together, supplementation of HEM can regulate the antioxidant capacity and modify the composition of colonic bacteria in weaning piglets. This study provides new insights into the combination effects of herbal extracts on weaning piglets.
Highlights
Weaning is a beneficial practice for improving sow reproductive performance in pig industry (Robert et al, 1999)
Disruption of Abbreviations: HEM, herbal extract mixture; CON, the control group; SOD, superoxide dismutase; GSH-PX, glutathione peroxidase; Keap1, Kelch like-ECH-associated protein 1; MDA, malondialdehyde; CAT, catalase; short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), short chain fatty acid; PCoA, principal co-ordinates analysis; PCA, principal component analysis; linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size measurements analysis
HEM treatment significantly decreased the mRNA expression of Keap1 (p < 0.05) in the jejunum of the weaned piglets
Summary
Weaning is a beneficial practice for improving sow reproductive performance in pig industry (Robert et al, 1999). Early weaning reduces the growth performance of weaning piglets. Early weaning damages the intestinal function and gives rise to poor immunity status, thereby leading to weaning stress on early weaning piglets (Blecha et al, 1983). Herbal Extract Mixture in Piglets intestinal function after weaning is correlated with shorter intestinal villus, hyperplasia of the intestinal crypt, disrupted intestinal barrier, and decreased digestive capacity (Smith et al, 2010; Yang et al, 2013). Because of the insufficient immune function of weaning piglets, they are easy to suffer weaning stress incurred by pathogens in feed (McLamb et al, 2013). Weaning destroys the antioxidant system and leads to excessive reactive oxygen species, resulting in intestinal oxidative stress in weaning piglets (Lauridsen, 2019). Functional amino acids, plant extracts, and organic acids are commonly used to alleviate weaning stress in swine farms (Jayaraman and Nyachoti, 2017; Modina et al, 2019)
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