Ikcheol Shin, Yonggu Kang, Jinmu Ahn, Yonghee Kim, Jinuk Nam, Kimoon Kim, Jun Mo Kim, Hyung Wook Kim, Jungwoo Yang, Youghoon Kim, Sangnam Oh, Minjee Lee, Hyunjin Kyoung, Minho Song
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
During the weaning period, piglets suffer from various challenges induced by changed trophic conditions, unstable immune systems, and exposure to unfamiliar environments accompanied by direct or indirect production losses. Supplementation of probiotics in a nursery diet has been considered an effective strategy that improves the growth rate and gut health of pigs. In swine production, lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB), including Lactobacilli, are commonly used as prominent probiotics. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (LR), one of the Lactobacilli probiotics, on growth performance, frequency of diarrhea, nutrient digestibility, gut health, and immune responses of weaned pigs. A total of 48 pigs were allocated to two treatments in a randomized complete block design (block: initial body weight). Dietary treatments were a basal nursery diet based on corn-soybean meal (CON) and CON + 0.02% LR (IDCC 3201; 2 × 109 CFU/g; Ildong Bioscience Co, Ltd, Seoul, Republic of Korea). The experiment was conducted for 4 weeks. In this study, the LR group increased gain to feed ratio from days 1 to 7 (P < 0.05) compared with the CON group. Pigs fed LR had higher (P < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, energy, and crude protein than those fed CON. The dietary LR decreased (P < 0.05) crypt depth in the duodenum and ileum compared with CON. The dietary LR upregulated ileal expression of the claudin-1 gene (P < 0.05) and tended to increase the claudin-2 gene (P = 0.089) while downregulated (P < 0.05) expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8 genes compared with CON. The LR group decreased (P < 0.05) platelet count on day 14 compared with the CON group. Furthermore, pigs fed LR had lower serum concentrations of the tumor necrosis factor-α on day 7 (P < 0.05) as well as interleukin-6 on days 7, 14, and 28 (P < 0.05) than those fed CON. This study suggests that the supplementation of 0.02% Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus in the nursery diet can improve the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of weaned pigs by enhancing intestinal morphology, ileal gene expression of tight junction proteins and inflammatory cytokine, and systemic immune responses.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Animal Science (JAS) is the premier journal for animal science and serves as the leading source of new knowledge and perspective in this area. JAS publishes more than 500 fully reviewed research articles, invited reviews, technical notes, and letters to the editor each year.
Articles published in JAS encompass a broad range of research topics in animal production and fundamental aspects of genetics, nutrition, physiology, and preparation and utilization of animal products. Articles typically report research with beef cattle, companion animals, goats, horses, pigs, and sheep; however, studies involving other farm animals, aquatic and wildlife species, and laboratory animal species that address fundamental questions related to livestock and companion animal biology will be considered for publication.