Early-weaned Pigs Research Articles

Hydrolyzed Yeast Supplementation to Newly Weaned Piglets: Growth Performance, Gut Health, and Microbial Fermentation.

Simple SummaryEarly-weaning in piglets has negative effects on growth performance and gut health, which may cause economic losses in the swine production worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of a highly digestible protein ingredient from hydrolyzed yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut health, and microbial fermentation in early-weaned piglets. Our study found that supplementing hydrolyzed yeast increased growth performance, crude protein digestibility, villus height, villus height-to-crypt ratio, and immunity and decreased inflammation and fecal pathogen count compared with those fed a diet with no addition of hydrolyzed yeast. These research outcomes indicate that supplementation of hydrolyzed yeast has the potential to enhance the growth performance and gut health of early-weaned piglets.Hydrolyzed yeast (HY)-derived protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a high digestible protein content and nucleotides and is a sweetener immunostimulatory substance. This could be used in nursery diets to minimize diarrhea and improve the growth rate and gut health of early-weaned piglets. This research was conducted with the objective of examining the effect of the inclusion level of HY as a potential protein ingredient for early-weaned piglets. A total of 72 crossbred weaned piglets [(Landrace × Large White) × Duroc] were assigned to three dietary treatments in six replicates with four pigs per pen. Dietary treatments were: (i) control (CON), piglets weaned at 18 days; (ii) CON diet with 5% HY inclusion (HY5); and (iii) CON diet with 10% HY inclusion (HY10) in a corn–soybean meal-based basal diet. Increasing HY levels positively improved body weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake (linear effect, p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a linear increase in N-retention, albumin, jejunal villus height, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, immunoglobulin A, acetate and propionate production, and Lactobacillus spp. count proportional to the dose of the HY-supplemented diet (p < 0.05). It also observed a decrease in diarrheal rate, jejunal crypt depth, blood urea nitrogen, pro-inflammatory cytokines, branched amino acids, and E. coli corresponding to the HY-supplemented levels (p < 0.05). However, the changes in the apparent total tract digestibility (dry matter, crude ash, and crude fat), blood glucose, butyrate, and Salmonella spp. were unaffected by the dietary HY level. Therefore, the supplementation of HY in the diet for early-weaned pigs not only supported the growth rate and immune function but also activated the beneficial bacterial growth of the early-weaned piglets.

Effects of feeding diets containing increasing content of purified lignocellulose supplied by sugarcane bagasse to early-weaned pigs on growth performance and intestinal health

A total of 96 weaned piglets, with mean age of 21 days and initial body weight (BW) of 6.67 ± 0.63 kg, were used in a 42-day experiment to evaluate the effects of supplementation of dietary purified lignocellulose (LNC) on growth performance and intestinal health. Piglets were blocked by initial BW and allotted to one of 32 pens, each pen containing three pigs. Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based control diet with no added LNC and three dietary inclusion rates (10, 20, and 30 g/kg) of LNC. Average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) were determined over 42 days postweaning. On day 14 postweaning, one pig from each pen was euthanized to determine gastrointestinal tract organ weight, small intestinal morphology, and digesta pH, viscosity, fermentation end-products, and bacterial enumeration. Total tract retention time was measured by adding 10 g/kg ferric oxide in the morning feed on day 42. From day 1–14 postweaning, G:F tended to linearly increase (P = 0.088) as the dietary LNC contents increased. Although increasing the dietary LNC supplementation quadratically increased (P = 0.008) ADFI and tended to quadratically decrease (P = 0.072) G:F from day 30–42 postweaning, overall growth performance was unaffected by the treatments. The weight of the small intestine adjusted for kg of BW on day 14 postweaning increased quadratically (P = 0.041) as the dietary LNC contents increased. Increasing the dietary LNC supplementation linearly increased (P = 0.027) crypt depth and tended to linearly reduce (P = 0.075) villus:crypt ratio in the jejunum. Dietary treatments did not affect total tract retention time as well as pH and viscosity of both cecum and colonic digesta. Increasing the dietary LNC supplementation quadratically increased (P = 0.001) cecal butyrate formation, whereas cecal acetate and propionate concentrations did not differ among treatments. Although ileal counts of Lactobacillus spp. and Escherichia coli were similar among treatments, the pathogenic Clostridium perfringens population exhibited a quadratic decrease (P = 0.041) as the dietary LNC contents increased. These results indicate that feeding pig diets containing up to 30 g/kg purified LNC enhanced gut health through the inhibition of harmful bacteria proliferation and the expansion of butyrate producers, without compromising overall growth performance.

Dietary Supplementation of EGF Ameliorates the Negatively Effects of LPS on Early-Weaning Piglets: From Views of Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Microelement Absorption and Possible Mechanisms.

Simple SummaryThis study aims to investigate how epidermal growth factor (EGF) attenuates the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, microelement absorption of early-weaned pigs. A total of 48 early weaned piglets were randomly distributed to four groups consisting of a 2 × 2 factorial design. The main factors were the level of LPS (HLPS = high LPS: 100 μg/kg body weight; ZLPS = low LPS: 0 μg/kg body weight) and EGF (HEGF = high EGF: 2 mg/kg diet; ZEGF = low EGF: 0 mg/kg diet). Each group had four replicates and each replicate consisted of three piglets. The results showed that HLPS level decreased the growth performance and the apparent digestibility of crude fat, while HEGF level increased the average daily feed intake. The concentration of most microelements in the gastrointestinal tract chyme and feces were increased by HLPS level and decreased by HEGF level. The expression levels of most microelement transport-relative genes in the mucosa of gastrointestinal tissues were decreased by HLPS level and increased by HEGF level. In conclusion, dietary EGF could attenuate the negative effect of LPS exposure on the apparent digestibility of crude fat and microelement absorption through changing the expression levels of microelement transport-relative genes. EGF can be used as an additive to increase the essential trace elements absorption in the early weaning piglets.Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in nutrients absorption. However, whether it can be an effective additive to improve the growth performance and nutrients absorption in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenged early weaning piglets is still unknown. A 14-days trial was conducted to investigate how EGF attenuates the effect of LPS on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, microelement absorption of early-weaned pigs, and study the underlying mechanism. A total of 48 early weaned piglets, aged 25 days, were randomly distributed to four groups (control, EGF, LPS and EGF + LPS groups) consisting of a 2 × 2 factorial design. The main factors were the level of LPS (HLPS = high LPS: 100 μg/kg body weight; ZLPS = low LPS: 0 μg/kg body weight) and EGF (HEGF = high EGF: 2 mg/kg diet; ZEGF = low EGF: 0 mg/kg diet). Each group had four replicates and each replicate consisted of three piglets. The results showed that piglets injected with HLPS level significantly decreased the average daily gain (ADG), and significantly increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared with the piglets injected with ZLPS level, while piglets fed HEGF level significantly increased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared with the piglets fed ZEGF level (p < 0.05). Piglets injected with HLPS level significantly decreased the apparent digestibility of crude fat compared with the piglets injected with ZLPS level (p < 0.05). Piglets injected with HLPS level significantly increased the concentration of most microelements in the gastrointestinal tract chyme and feces, and significantly decreased the expression levels of most microelement transport-relative genes in the mucosa of gastrointestinal tissues compared with the piglets injected with ZLPS level (p < 0.05). Piglets fed HEGF level significantly decreased the concentration of microelement in the gastrointestinal tract chyme and feces, and significantly increased the expression levels of the microelement transport-relative genes in the mucosa of gastrointestinal tissues compared with the piglets fed ZEGF level (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary EGF could attenuate the negative effect of LPS exposure on the apparent digestibility of crude fat and microelement absorption of early-weaning piglets. EGF and LPS influenced the absorption of essential trace element through changing the expression levels of microelement transport-relative genes in the mucosa of gastrointestinal tissues. In the early weaning piglets, EGF can be used as an additive to increase the essential trace elements absorption.

Glucocorticoid Receptor Agonists to Improve the Productivity and Health of Early-Weaned Pigs: What is the Best Method of Delivery?

Simple SummaryIn previous studies, we demonstrated that injection of a glucocorticoid-like compound could effectively improve the productivity of early-weaned pigs and can be used as an alternative to antibiotics. In the current study, we explored the viability of other methods for delivering this glucocorticoid-like compound to newly weaned pigs, in the hopes of finding a delivery method that is effective, less labor intensive, and more animal welfare friendly. In this study, we compared two methods of glucocorticoid-like compound delivery, i.e., in-feed or in-water, to repeated intramuscular injections of the same compound. We also compared the effectiveness of the treatments with that of in-feed antibiotics. We found that the in-feed delivery method of the glucocorticoid-like compound had comparable positive effects on the growth performance of piglets with those of intramuscular injection of the glucocorticoid-like compound or antibiotics. Therefore, in-feed supplementation of the glucocorticoid-like compound is a suitable and viable alternative to the intramuscular injection or in-water delivery methods.The purpose of the current study was to determine the best method of delivery for glucocorticoid receptor agonist (GRA) treatment. A total of 167 Pig Improvement Company (PIC) piglets (body weight (BW) 7.35 ± 1.24 kg) were weaned at 25.0 ± 0.81 days of age and randomly assigned to 14 treatment groups based on a 2 × 7 factorial arrangement with sex (gilts vs. barrows), in-feed antibiotic (ANT; 110 mg/kg in-feed tylosin), repeated intramuscular (I.M.) injection of GRA (two injections, 0.2 mg/kg BW dexamethasone (DEX)), low dose in-feed GRA (LF, 2.5 mg/kg diet DEX ), high dose in-feed GRA (HF, 5 mg/kg diet DEX), low dose in-water GRA (LW, 0.8 mg/L DEX ), high dose in-water GRA (HW, 1.6 mg/L DEX ), and no treatment control (CON) as the main factors. Body weight and feed intake were measured daily from days 0 to 7 and weekly from days 7 to 28 post-weaning. The interaction effect for average daily gain (ADG) was significant with gilts performing better in the I.M., ANT, and LF groups (p = 0.05). All treatment groups, with the exception of the HW group, had a higher ADG than the CON group. Gilts in the I.M., LF, and HF groups had the highest ADG compared to other treatment groups (p ≤ 0.05). Sex and the interaction between sex and treatments had no effect on the gain-to-feed ratio (G:F; p ≥ 0.21). All treatment groups had a higher G:F than the CON group (p ≥ 0.04). These results suggest that the low-dose, in-feed GRA treatment is the best GRA delivery method and is a suitable alternative to in-feed sub-therapeutic antibiotics.

The Effects of a Glucocorticoid Receptor Agonist (GRA) on the Immune Function, Nutrient Digestibility, and Wean-to-Finish Growth Performance of Early-Weaned Pigs.

Simple SummaryEarly weaning is a common practice in modern swine production. Despite advantages, it exposes piglets to numerous stressors at an age when their digestive system is not fully developed. This exposure results in the hyper-activation of the immune system, which in turn reduces growth performance immediately following weaning. One common practice in the pig industry has been to use in-feed antibiotics to mitigate some of the negative effects of early weaning on the immune system and growth. However, recent concerns over antibiotic resistance have created a need for an alternative strategy. We previously have shown that a glucocorticoid-like compound can effectively improve growth performance of newly weaned pigs by regulating their immune response. In the present study, we evaluated the viability of this treatment as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics by directly comparing the effects of the two treatments on measures of immune function, nutrient digestibility, short-term growth and long-term growth. We found that treatment with glucocorticoid-like compounds reduces inflammation, improves nutrient digestibility and enhances short term growth. These effects in turn lead to long-term body weight superiority that is comparable to antibiotic treatment. In conclusion, treating early weaned pigs with glucocorticoid-like compounds is a suitable alternative to the use of in-feed antibiotics.This study assessed the viability of glucocorticoid receptor agonist (GRA) treatment as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics (ANT) in wean-to-finish pigs. A total of 209 piglets were assigned to eight treatments based on a factorial arrangement, with GRA (+ vs. −; dexamethasone, 0.2 mg/kg body weight, BW), ANT (+ vs. −; 110 mg/kg in-feed Tylosin) and sex (gilt vs. barrow) as the main factors. The serial slaughter technique and serial blood collection were performed on 115 pigs during the first week post-weaning to collect blood, tissue and ileal digesta samples. Fecal samples were collected to determine energy digestibility. In comparison to ANT, GRA more effectively improved the measures of systemic inflammation, protein utilization and recovery-associated biomarkers (p ≤ 0.05). Relative to the control group, GRA treatment improved (p ≤ 0.03) dietary nutrient digestibility relative to control pigs, which was comparable to ANT effects. Relative to the control group, all groups had a higher ADG and BW during the starter phase (p < 0.01). Similar to the ANT group, GRA improved the gain-to-feed ratio relative to the control group during the starter phase. Relative to control pigs, overall BW was higher in GRA and ANT pigs during the grow-to-finish phase (p < 0.01). Collectively, these results suggest that GRA injection improves the growth performance of newly weaned pigs by reducing weaning-induced inflammation and improving nutrient digestibility. GRA can be used as an alternative to in-feed ANT to mitigate the effects of weaning stress on pigs.

Effects of low protein diets with amino acids supplementation on biochemical and faeces parameters in weaned piglets

Effects of low protein diets with amino acids supplementation on biochemical and faeces parameters in weaned piglets

A glucocorticoid receptor agonist improves post-weaning growth performance in segregated early-weaned pigs

While beneficial for sow reproductive efficiency and biosecurity, segregated early weaning (SEW) leads to a systemic immune response that adversely affects the digestive physiology and post-weaning growth of pigs. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of a glucocorticoid receptor agonist (GA) on growth performance, measures of immune function and intestinal integrity of SEW pigs. In both experiments, pigs were fed corn-soybean meal-based starter diets. In the first experiment, 48 pigs (initial BW 4.8 ± 0.7 kg) were weaned at 21 ± 1 days and randomly assigned to three GA treatment groups: 0, 0.2 and 0.6 mg GA/kg of BW injected intramuscularly. Treatments were administered one day before weaning. Pigs in the 0 mg GA group received sterile saline in place of GA. Body weight was measured daily from one day before to 7 days post-weaning, and then weekly until 28 days post-weaning. Piglets treated with 0.2 mg GA had a higher BW than piglets in other treatment groups during the 28-day course of the study (P <0.02). To further explore the mechanisms behind this result, a second experiment was performed in which a total of 18 gilts (BW 5.6 ± 0.85 kg) were randomly assigned into three treatment groups: suckling plus saline (UWS), weaned treated with GA (WGA; 0.2 mg GA/kg BW) and weaned plus saline (CON). Treatments were administered one day before and 3 days post-weaning. The WGA and CON groups were weaned at 23 ± 2 days, while the UWS group remained with sow for the duration of the study. Body weight was measured daily and blood plasma was collected at 0, 1, 4 and 5 days post-weaning. All gilts were euthanized 5 days after weaning and jejunum samples were collected for mucosal scrapings, histomorphological analysis and gene expression analysis. Plasma levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and haptoglobin were lower in WGA pigs compared with CON (P <0.02), while plasma total antioxidant capacity was higher in WGA pigs compared with both CON and UWS groups (P <0.01). Relative to CON, GA downregulated IL-18 gene expression in the jejunum, as assessed by both tissue homogenate and mucosal scrapings, but it upregulated claudin-IV gene expression only in the tissue homogenate (P <0.01). These results suggest that GA treatment improves the growth performance of SEW pigs in part by mitigating the negative effects of systemic inflammation. However, the effect of GA on barrier integrity requires further investigation.

228 Replacement of Zinc Oxide with Encapsulated Zinc Oxide on Growth Performance in Early-Weaned Pigs.

228 Replacement of Zinc Oxide with Encapsulated Zinc Oxide on Growth Performance in Early-Weaned Pigs.

Effects of Armillariella tabescens mycelia on the growth performance and intestinal immune response and microflora of early-weaned pigs.

This study was performed to evaluate effects of Armillariella tabescens (A. tabescens) on the growth performance and intestinal immune response and microflora in early-weaned pigs when used as feed additive. A. tabescens mycelia were added to basal diets at concentrations of 0%, 0.1%, 0.3% or 0.9% (w/w). A total of 144 commercial cross-bred piglets were randomly allocated to one of these four diets and fed for 30days. The growth performance of early-weaned piglets displayed improvement with diets containing 0.1% and 0.3% dried mycelia powder from A. tabescens. Supplementing with 0.1% or 0.3% A. tabescens mycelia induced a 2.6- and three-fold increase in secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in the jejunal mucosa, respectively, but had only a marginal effect on sIgA in the ileal mucosa. Expression of interleukin-2, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the jejunal mucosa were elevated with A. tabescens mycelia administration. Increased amounts of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. in the jejunum, and decreased amounts of Escherichia coli in the jejunum and ileum were observed with the administration of A. tabescens-containing diets. This study demonstrated that A. tabescens had beneficial effects on the growth performance and intestinal microflora of early-weaned pigs.

Extensive Literature Search on the ‘Effects of Copper intake levels in the gut microbiota profile of target animals, in particular piglets’

Extensive Literature Search on the ‘Effects of Copper intake levels in the gut microbiota profile of target animals, in particular piglets’

EGF and EGFR: Promising targets for modulating inflammation and mucosal healing therapy in IBD

Crohn’s disease is a major type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This disease may be associated with an inability of the intestinal mucosa to protect itself from luminal challenges or defective epithelial repair following intestinal injury. Mucosal healing relies on coordinated events consisting of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) restitution, proliferation and differentiation. From our previous work leading to epidermal growth factor (EGF) enhancing growth performance in early-weaned pigs, we recently addressed potential in vivo mechanisms of EGF in enhancing intestine development and reducing inflammation. The mechanisms underlying the EGF-mediated protective effects were investigated by gene expression, enzyme activity, and histomorphology analyses. Further evidence linking EGFR and GLP2R to downstream signaling pathways to enhance the expression of protective luminal factors such as KGF and Muc2 was demonstrated. The multi-faceted network effect of EGFR signaling allows this receptor and its prototypical ligand, EGF, to emerge as promising targets for mucosal healing therapy.

Effects of bovine colostrum on performance, survival, and immunoglobulin status of suckling piglets during the first days of life

Supplementation of bovine colostrum (BC) has shown to improve growth performance, intestinal development, and immune response in early-weaned pigs. Little is known about whether BC may have similar effects in neonatal piglets. In the present study, the effect of BC supplementation on mortality, growth performance, and blood parameters (plasma proteins and white blood count) of suckling piglets in the first 10&amp;nbsp;days of life was investigated under practical conditions with special emphasis on low birth weight piglets. In total, 258 newborn piglets from 30 multiparous sows in a commercial breeding unit were randomly assigned to two different treatment groups. Piglets received either 1 ml of BC orally on days 1&amp;ndash;3 of life (group BC, n = 128) or 1 ml of saline (0.9%) (control (CON) group; n = 130). Body weight was measured on days 1, 4, and 10 of life. Blood was collected on days 1 and 4 from 60 piglets per group. No differences in mortality, body weight, and average daily weight gain were observed between treatment groups in days 1&amp;ndash;10. However, compared to CON, particularly in low birth weight piglets the administration of BC supported (P &amp;lt; 0.01) their survival. Group BC exhibited lower plasma total protein (P = 0.03) and beta-globulin (P = 0.02) concentrations compared to group CON. In conclusion, BC improved low and normal birth weight piglets&amp;rsquo; survival during their first 10 days of life. Further research is needed to clarify whether the survival rate is related to earlier gut closure indicated by lower plasma protein levels, which might be beneficial due to a lower uptake of potential antigenic substances.

Bile acid mediated effects on gut integrity and performance of early-weaned piglets.

BackgroundEarly weaning (EW) results in a transient period of impaired integrity of the intestinal mucosa that may be associated with reduced plasma concentration of glucagon-like peptide-(GLP) 2. We have previously shown that intragastric infusion of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDC) increases circulating GLP-2 in early-weaned piglets. The aim of this study was to expand previous work to establish whether feeding piglets a cereal-based diet supplemented with CDC can improve gut integrity and animal performance immediately after EW. A cohort of 36 piglets weaned at 20 days of age, 6.2 ± 0.34 kg of body weight (BW) were randomly assigned (n = 18) to receive a standard prestarter diet or the same diet supplemented with 60 mg of CDC per kg of initial BW for ad libitum intake until day 14 postweaning. Thereafter, all pigs were fed the same untreated starter diet for 21 days until the end of the study on day 35. On days 1, 7 and 14 blood samples were collected from 6 pigs per treatment to measure plasma GLP-2. On day 15, 6 pigs per treatment were euthanized to obtain intestinal tissue samples for later histological and gene expression analyses.ResultsSupplementing the diet with CDC tended to increase plasma GLP-2 (P < 0.07; 39 %) and the weight of the large intestine (P < 0.10; 11 %), and increased ileal crypt depth (P < 0.04; 15 %) after 14 days of treatment exposure. Although feed intake and BW gain were not affected by treatments, feeding CDC induced the expression of the cytokines TNF-α (P < 0.02; 1.9 fold), IL-6 (P < 0.01; 2.4 fold), and IL-10 (P < 0.006; 2.2 fold) and the tight junctional protein ZON-1 (P < 0.02; 1.5 fold) in the distal small intestine.ConclusionsThis study showed that the oral administration of CDC to early-weaned pigs has the potential to improve the protection of the intestinal mucosa independently of relevant changes in gut growth.

Comparison of the biological activities of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-expressed intracellular EGF, extracellular EGF, and tagged EGF in early-weaned pigs.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) ameliorates stress and prevents incomplete gastrointestinal development in early-weaned piglets in commercial swine farming. This study aimed to further analyze the biological activities of intracellularly expressed EGF (IE-EGF), extracellularly expressed EGF (EE-EGF), and tagged EGF (T-EGF) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae in early-weaned pigs. In this study, we assigned 24 pigs to each of 5 groups that were provided a basic diet (the control group) or a diet supplemented with empty vector-expressing S. cerevisiae [the INVSc1(EV) group], T-EGF-expressing S. cerevisiae [the INVSc1-TE(-) group], EE-EGF-expressing S. cerevisiae [the INVSc1-EE(+) group], or IE-EGF-expressing S. cerevisiae [the INVSc1-IE(+) group]. All treatments were delivered at a dose of 60 μg EGF/kg body weight (BW) everyday. All the piglets were sacrificed after 21 day to determine their physio-biochemical indexes, immune functions, and intestinal development. In the piglet experiments, recombinant S. cerevisiae survived throughout the intestinal tract. The BW and intestinal development (e.g., mean villous height, crypt depth, villous height:crypt depth ratio (IVR), and total protein, DNA, and RNA contents) of the piglets were significantly enhanced in the INVSc1-IE(+) group compared with the animals in the INVSc1-EE(+) and INVSc1-TE(-) groups (P < 0.05). In addition, increased proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining was observed in the piglets that received the INVSc1-IE(+) treatment (approximately 80 %) compared with those that received the INVSc1-TE(-) (approximately 70 %) and INVSc1-EE(+) treatments (approximately 70 %). The levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) were also significantly increased in the INVSc1-IE(+) group compared with the INVSc1-EE(+) and INVSc1-TE(-) groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the proliferation of piglet enterocytes was also significantly stimulated by both IE-EGF and EE-EGF compared with T-EGF in vitro (P < 0.05). Our data further demonstrate the previously reported hypothesis that IE-EGF is more suitable than EE-EGF or T-EGF for applications in early-weaned pigs.

Epidermal growth factor containing culture supernatant enhances intestine development of early-weaned pigs in vivo: Potential mechanisms involved

We have previously generated epidermal factor expressing Lactococcus lactis (EGF-LL) using a bioengineering approach, and shown that EGF-LL fermentation supernatant enhanced newly weaned pigs growth. The objective of the current study was to further understand the mechanisms behind this improved performance. Sixty-four piglets were weaned at 3 weeks of age and then fed ad libitum according to a 2-phase feeding program. Four pens with 8 pigs per pen were assigned to each of two treatments for 3 weeks: (1) EGF containing supernatant from EGF-LL culture (SuperEGF) or (2) blank M17GE media (Control). Consistent with previous findings, SuperEGF pigs had an increased average daily gain during week 3 post-weaning (433.4±10.86 vs 388.7±7.76g; P<0.05) and overall gain:feed ratio (0.757±0.03 vs 0.677±0.01kg/kg, P<0.05). Moreover, jejunal structure development was enhanced, and inflammation index was minimized in SuperEGF pigs as indicated by increased villi height (P<0.05), decreased lamina propria width (P<0.05), and higher expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-13 (P<0.05). Further, goblet cell numbers and Muc2 levels were increased in SuperEGF pigs. Interestingly, the weaning-induced decrease of glucose cotransporter sodium-glucose linked transporter 1 (SGLT1) and glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP2) levels was reversed by SuperEGF supplementation. Our findings add to our understanding of the mechanisms behind enhancing piglet performance by EGF containing fermentation product.

Growth performance of early-weaned pigs is enhanced by feeding epidermal growth factor-expressing Lactococcus lactis fermentation product

We have previously generated epidermal growth factor expressing Lactococcus lactis (EGF-LL) using bioengineering approach, and shown that feeding newly-weaned piglets EGF-LL improves digestive function. To address concerns over the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of feeding the EGF-LL fermentation product, after removal of the genetically modified EGF-LL, on growth performance and intestine development of newly-weaned piglets. One hundred and twenty newly-weaned piglets were fed ad libitum according to a 2-phase feeding program. Four pens were assigned to each of three treatments: (1) complete EGF-LL fermentation product (Ferm), (2) supernatant of EGF-LL fermentation product, after removal of EGF-LL (Supern), or (3) blank M17GE media (Control). EGF-LL or its fermented supernatant was administrated to piglets in the first 3 weeks post-weaning; their growth performance was monitored throughout treatment, and for the following week. Daily body weight gain (254.8g vs. 200.5g) and Gain:Feed (0.541kg/kg vs. 0.454kg/kg) of pigs on the Supern group were significantly improved compared to that of Control, although no difference was observed between the Ferm and Control pigs. Intestinal sucrase activity was increased in Supern- compared to Control group (166.3±62.1 vs. 81.4±56.5nmol glucose released/mg protein; P<0.05). The lack of growth response with Ferm pigs may be attributed to an overload of bacteria (daily dose included 4.56×1010CFU/kg BW/day EGF-LL). These results suggest that GMO-free EGF-LL fermentation product is effective in increasing growth performance of early-weaned piglets.

Bile Acids Induce Glucagon-Like Peptide 2 Secretion with Limited Effects on Intestinal Adaptation in Early Weaned Pigs

Early weaning is a stressful event characterized by a transient period of intestinal atrophy that may be mediated by reduced secretion of glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 2. We tested whether enterally fed bile acids or plant sterols could increase nutrient-dependent GLP-2 secretion and improve intestinal adaptation in weanling pigs. During the first 6 d after weaning, piglets were intragastrically infused once daily with either deionized water (control), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDC; 60 mg/kg body weight), or β-sitoesterol (BSE; 100 mg/kg body weight). Infusing CDC increased plasma GLP-2 (P < 0.05) but did not affect plasma GLP-1 and feed intake. The intestinal expression of glucagon-like peptide 2 receptor, sodium-dependent bile acid transporter, farnesoid X receptor, and guanosine protein–coupled bile acid receptor genes were not affected by CDC treatment. The intragastric administration of CDC did not alter the weight and length of the intestine, yet increased the activation of caspase-3 in ileal villi (P < 0.02) and the expression of interleukin 6 (P < 0.002) in the jejunum. In contrast, infusing BSE did not affect any of the variables that were measured. Our results show that the enteral administration of the bile acid CDC potentiates the nutrient-induced secretion of endogenous GLP-2 in early-weaned pigs. Bile acid–enhanced release of GLP-2, however, did not result in improved intestinal growth, morphology, or inflammation during the postweaning degenerative phase.

Epidermal growth factor-expressing Lactococcus lactis enhances growth performance of early-weaned pigs fed diets devoid of blood plasma

The effect of supplementing Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) that was engineered to express epidermal growth factor (EGF-LL) to early-weaned pigs fed diets with typical levels of blood plasma (5%) or diets without blood plasma [blood plasma was substituted with soybean (Glycine max) meal and fish meal, based on amino acid supply] was examined. A total of 108 weaned piglets (19-26 d of age; mean initial BW 6.58 kg; 9 pigs per pen) were fed ad libitum according to a 2-phase feeding program without growth promoters. Three pens were assigned to each of 4 treatments: i) blood plasma-containing diet with blank bacterial growth medium (BP-Con), ii) blood plasma-containing diet with fermented EGF-LL (BP-EGF), iii) blood plasma-free diet with blank bacterial growth medium (BPF-Con), and iv) blood plasma-free diet with fermented EGF-LL (BPF-EGF). The amount of epidermal growth factor (EGF) was determined in the fermentation product and pigs were allotted 60 μg EGF/kg BW/d for 3 wk postweaning. There were no differences in overall growth performance between BP-Con and BP-EGF pigs and no differences in overall growth performance between LoCon and BPF-EGF pigs. Pigs fed BPF-EGF showed increased daily BW gain (410 vs. 260 g/d; P < 0.01) and gain:feed (0.67 vs. 0.58; P < 0.05) compared to BPF-Con pigs in wk 3 postweaning; this was comparable to values for the BP-Con group (400 g/d and 0.64). These results indicate that supplementation with EGF-LL can be effective in enhancing the performance of early-weaned piglets fed a low complexity diet and reduces the need for feeding high-quality animal proteins and antibiotics.

Dietary supplementation with Atractylodes Macrophala Koidz polysaccharides ameliorate metabolic status and improve immune function in early-weaned pigs

The effects of Atractylodes Macrophala Koidz polysaccharides on metabolic status and immune function in early-weaned pigs were determined. 25 [Duroc×(Landrace×Yorkshire)] crossbred pigs, weaned at the age of 21days (body weight 5.30±0.25kg), were randomly allocated to 5 dietary treatments, with 5 pigs in each treatment. The dietary treatments were: the basal diet (BD)-fed group, the pure Atractylodes Macrocephala Koidz polysaccharides (PAMKPS)-fed group (BD+0.3% PAMKPS), the crude polysaccharides mixture (CPSM)-fed group (BD+0.6% CPSM), the crude Atractylodes Macrocephala Koidz polysaccharides (CAMKPS)-fed group (BD+0.6% CAMKPS) and the antibiotics (AN)-fed group (BD+0.015% chlortetracycline+0.005% flavomycin). Diarrhea scores were recorded daily, and the average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed/gain ratio (F/G) were measured weekly. Blood samples were obtained for the measurement of serum metabolites and immune function related parameters, contents from ileum, cecum and colon were collected for enumeration of coliform and lactobacillus counts, and tissue samples were collected for the determination of cAMP contents and mRNA abundances of cytokines. Diets supplemented with the PAMKPS, CPSM and CAMKPS increased ADG (P<0.05) and decreased F/G (P<0.05) compared with the BD. The diarrhea incidence in pigs of the PAMKPS-fed group was lower (P<0.05) than that in both the AN and BD-fed group, and that in the CPSM and AN-fed group was lower (P<0.05) than in the CAMPKS and BD-fed group, respectively. The counts of coliform in ileum contents of the PAMKPS-fed group, that in cecum contents of the PAMKPS, CPSM, CAMKPS and AN-fed group, and that in colon contents of the PAMKPS and AN-fed group were lower (P<0.05) than that in the BD-fed group; the counts of lactobacillus in ileum contents of the PAMKPS-fed group, that in cecum contents of the PAMKPS, CPSM and CAMKPS-fed group, and that in colon contents of the PAMKPS, CPSM, CAMKPS and AN-fed group were higher (P<0.05) than that in the BD-fed group, respectively. Diet supplemented with the PAMKPS ameliorated (P<0.05) the metabolic status of blood urea nitrogen, alanine amiotransterase and aspartate amiotransterase compared with the BD, and diets supplemented with the CAMKPS and CPSM improved (P<0.05) the glucose metabolic process compared with the AN-added diet. Diet supplemented with the PAMKPS increased (P<0.05) the serum concentrations of immunoglobin (Ig) G, IgM, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and spleen and liver contents of the cAMP compared with the BD. Diets supplemented with the PAMKPS and CPSM increased (P<0.05) the peripheral blood lymphocyte transformation rates and mRNA abundances of the interleukin-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and the nuclear factor of activated T cells transcription factor (NF-AT) in spleen compared with the AN-added and BD diets. We concluded that the PAMKPS, CAMKPS and CPSM could ameliorate the metabolic status and regulate immune function to beneficially improve the growth performance in pigs, and such function was better than that of antibiotics.

Effects of doses of ZnO or Zn-Glutamate on growth performance, gut characteristics, health and immunity of early-weaned pigs orally challenged with E. coli K88

Research shows that dietary zinc oxide (ZnO) at pharmacological level improves growth and/or reduces diarrhoea in weaned pigs (Mavromichaelis et al., 2000). However, the theories to explain ZnO action conflict with experimental data, and it is not clear if other zinc sources supplied over requirements can improve growth or health of piglet. Thus, dietary strategies to supplement zinc within the EU rules are difficulty identified. Recent findings show also that dietary glutamate reduces villus atrophy after weaning (Ewtushik et al., 2000) and is an important fuel for the enterocyte (Reeds et al., 2000)...