本研究旨在评价饲粮中添加有机酸对生长性能的影响,抗氧化能力,肠屏障功能,与抗生素生长促进剂(AGP)相比,断奶仔猪的粪便微生物群。将初始体重为7.40kg的90只断奶杂交手推车(24±1日龄)分配到3个实验处理中。每个治疗由6个复制围栏组成,每个围栏有5只小猪。饮食处理包括基础饮食(NC),补充抗生素(PC)的基础饮食,和补充有机酸混合物(OA)的基础饮食。在第42天,每个围栏随机选择一只小猪用于血浆和小肠样品收集。结果表明,与NC组相比,饲粮AGP显著提高了生长性能,降低了腹泻发生率(P<0.05)。饮食OA在第42天趋于增加体重(P=0.07),从第0天到第42天的平均日增重(P=0.06),并减少腹泻发生率(P=0.05)。饲粮OA显著增加血浆过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性,降低血浆丙二醛(MDA)浓度,肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α),白细胞介素(IL)-8和IL-6,伴随着上调超氧化物歧化酶1(SOD1)的相对mRNA丰度,与NC组比较,谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶1(GPX1)和核因子红系2相关因子2(NRF2)(P<0.05)。此外,与NC组相比,饲喂OA饮食的猪显着增加了空肠绒毛高度与隐窝深度的比率,并上调了空肠中闭合zonula-1(ZO-1)和Claudin1基因的相对表达(P<0.05)。有趣的是,日粮AGP和OA均不影响粪便菌群结构和挥发性脂肪酸含量(P>0.05)。总之,提示日粮中添加OA可以提高断奶仔猪的生长性能和抗氧化能力,保护肠道屏障,因此,它有可能被视为猪业AGP的替代品。
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary organic acid blend on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal barrier function, and fecal microbiota in weaned piglets compared with antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs). A total of 90 weaned crossbred barrows (24 ± 1 d of age) with an initial body weight of 7.40 kg were allocated into three experimental treatments. Each treatment consisted of six replicate pens, with five piglets housed in each pen. The dietary treatments included the basal diet (NC), the basal diet supplemented with antibiotics (PC), and the basal diet supplemented with organic acid blend (OA). On day 42, one piglet per pen was randomly selected for plasma and small intestinal sample collection. The results showed that dietary AGP significantly improved growth performance and reduced diarrhea incidence compared to the NC group (P < 0.05). Dietary OA tended to increase body weight on day 42 (P = 0.07) and average daily gain from days 0 to 42 (P = 0.06) and reduce diarrhea incidence (P = 0.05). Dietary OA significantly increased plasma catalase (CAT) activity and decreased the plasma concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-8, and IL-6, which were accompanied by upregulated the relative mRNA abundance of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) in comparison to that in the NC group (P < 0.05). Moreover, pigs fed the OA diet significantly increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth and upregulated the relative expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Claudin1 gene in the jejunum compared to the NC group (P < 0.05). Interestingly, dietary AGP or OA did not affect the fecal microbiota structure or volatile fatty acid content (P > 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggested that dietary OA supplementation could improve growth performance and antioxidant capacity and protect the intestinal barrier of weaned piglets, therefore, it has the potential to be considered as an alternative to AGP in the pig industry.
In the era of antibiotics prohibition, there is an urgent need to develop green and efficient alternatives to antibiotics in the current pig industry to mitigate the economic losses associated with antibiotic bans. Organic acids (OA) are a class of substances that have long been used as feed additives due to their bacteriostatic properties, the ability of reducing feed pH, increasing the activity of digestive enzymes, and other beneficial effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary OA on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal barrier function, and fecal microbiota structure in weaned piglets. The results showed that OA supplementation can effectively improve the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets. This study provides a reference for the application of OA as an alternative to antibiotics in weaned piglets.