Abstract
BackgroundIn animals, weaning stress is the first and most critical stress. Weaning can negatively affect the growth performance of animals physically, psychologically, and pathologically. Our previous studies on the HT-29 cell line and early-weaned rats demonstrated that adequate sophorolipid (SPL) supplementation in feed could enhance the mucin-producing and wound healing capacities of the gut defense system by modulating gut microbiota.MethodsWe conducted an experiment with one hundred forty 21-day-old early weaned piglets (L x Y x D). They were allocated into 4 treatment and 7 replications (4 pigs per pen) according to their initial body weight. Body weight and feed intake were measured biweekly during experimental period. After 6 weeks, 28 pigs were randomly selected and sacrificed to collect plasma, jejunum, and cecal content samples.ResultsDietary SPL supplementation at 5 and 10 mg/kg quadratically increased the average daily gain during the experimental period in the treatment groups when compared with the control group. The albumin levels of piglets fed with the SPL supplemented diet were downregulated to the normal range. Moreover, in feed, SPL supplementation at 5 and 10 mg/kg improved jejunal histological indices and gene expression levels related to mucin secretion and local inflammation markers. Consistent with these results, adequate SPL supplementation (5 and 10 mg/kg) increased the population of Prevotella, a beneficial bacterium, and its short-chain fatty acid production in the ceca of piglets.ConclusionsThe occurrence of diarrhea after weaning in piglets could be reduced by feeding a 10 ppm of SPL supplemented diet which improves the gut defense system by improving the microbial population and enhancing mucin layer integrity.
Highlights
In animals, weaning stress is the first and most critical stress
Dietary SPL supplementation quadratically increased the average daily gain (ADG) of piglets fed with the experimental diets in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05)
average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed efficiency (FE) of pigs fed the SPL-supplemented diet did not differ among the treatments
Summary
In animals, weaning stress is the first and most critical stress. Weaning can negatively affect the growth performance of animals physically, psychologically, and pathologically. Weaning is the transitional phase of feeding in mammals from reliance on the mother’s milk to an adult diet. Among bio-emulsifiers, sophorolipid (SPL) has emerged as a substitute for antibiotics owing to its relatively low toxicity and high biodegradability [9, 10], and it have been already adjusted in various industry, including medicine, hygiene, and pharmaco-dermatology [11]. SPLs exhibit antimicrobial, anticancer, antiviral, and antifungal properties as well as cytotoxicity [14, 15] These properties imply that SPLs can be applied in fields such as medicine, hygiene, and pharmaco-dermatology. Despite their considerable potential, the use of SPLs in the animal feed industry has not yet been reported
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