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Laboratory for Animal Nutrition and Animal Product Quality, Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Published: April 2023
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Introduction: Weaning is a stressful experience in the piglet's life, and it often coincides with impaired gut health. Post-weaning diarrhea in piglets is frequently caused by enterotoxigenic (). The first step of an infection is the adhesion to host-specific receptors present on enterocytes, leading to pro-inflammatory immune responses. The aim of this study was to examine if specific fiber fractions in the piglet diet can prevent adhesion and subsequent immune responses.
Methods: The trial included 200 piglets (Danbred × Piétrain): 10 piglets/pen × 10 pens/dietary treatment × 2 dietary treatments. From weaning until 14 days (d14) post-weaning, piglets were fed a control diet or test diet with 2 kg/ton of a mixture of specific fiber fractions derived from root and citrus. Afterwards, 1 piglet per pen was euthanized, a section was taken at 75% of small intestinal length and colonization on the mucosal epithelium was quantified by scraping and conventional plating. From the same small intestinal section, histo-morphological indices were assessed, and mucosal scrapings were analyzed for gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and NF-kB. Analyses of specific intestinal bacteria and SCFA were performed on samples of intestinal content (small intestine, caecum, colon). Fecal samples were taken to measure myeloperoxidase (MPO), calprotectin and PAP/RAG3A as biomarkers for intestinal inflammation.
Results And Discussion: Piglets fed the fiber mixture tended to have decreased colonization to the mucosal epithelium (5.65 vs. 4.84 log10 CFU/g; = 0.07), less in the caecum (8.91 vs. 7.72 log10 CFU/g; = 0.03) and more Lachnospiraceae in the colon (11.3 vs. 11.6 log10 CFU/g; = 0.03). Additionally, the fiber mixture tended to increase cecal butyric acid (10.4 vs. 19.1 mmol/kg; = 0.07). No significant effect on histo-morphological indices and on gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and NF-kB was observed. The fecal MPO concentration tended to decrease (20.2 vs. 10.4 ng/g; = 0.07), indicating less intestinal inflammation. In conclusion, this study showed that specific fiber fractions from root and citrus in piglet weaner diets may decrease the risk of pathogen overgrowth by reducing adhesion and intestinal inflammation.
