Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets
Antibiotic resistance is a major issue in animal industries and antibiotic-free alternatives are needed to treat infectious diseases and improve performance of pigs. Plant extracts have been suggested as a potential solution. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Astragalus p...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2019.00418/full |
| _version_ | 1818060995585638400 |
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| author | C. M. Yang Q. J. Han K. L. Wang Y. L. Xu J. H. Lan G. T. Cao |
| author_facet | C. M. Yang Q. J. Han K. L. Wang Y. L. Xu J. H. Lan G. T. Cao |
| author_sort | C. M. Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Antibiotic resistance is a major issue in animal industries and antibiotic-free alternatives are needed to treat infectious diseases and improve performance of pigs. Plant extracts have been suggested as a potential solution. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Astragalus polysaccharides (Aps) and ginseng polysaccharide (Gps) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune function, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and microfloral community in weaned piglets. A total of 180 weaned piglets were randomly divided into three treatment groups during a 28-days feeding experiment, including a basal diet (Con), basal diet supplemented with 800 mg/kg Aps (Aps), and basal diet supplemented with 800 mg/kg Gps (Gps). Results showed that both Aps and Gps increased body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion rate, and reduced the rate of diarrhea. Gps also decreased aspartate aminotransferase compared to the Con piglets after 14 days. No significant effects on alanine aminotransferase were observed. Both Aps and Gps piglets exhibited higher serum immunoglobulin M levels after 14 and 28 days, and also decreased jejunal crypt depth, increased jejunal villus length and villus height/crypt depth ratio, and increased expression of toll-like receptor 4, myeloid differentiation primary response 88, nuclear factor-kappa B proteins in the jejunum. Aps and Gps piglets also had higher concentrations of acetic acid, isobutyric acid, and butyrate in their colon. Data of high-throughput sequencing revealed that Aps and Gps affected bacterial quantity and diversity in the colon. Species richness and evenness were higher in both Aps and Gps piglets than the control piglets. Aps and Gps piglets also had a higher relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Anaerostipes, and the Aps piglets had a higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus gasseri and L. amylovorus. Therefore, dietary supplementation with Aps and Gps could be beneficial for optimizing the performance of industry pigs and reducing dependence on antibiotics. Furthermore, Plant polysaccharides play a great role in promoting the sustainable development of animal husbandry. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T13:41:17Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-944e2ccd9f984611a3c5a10ddbbeacfb2022-12-22T01:46:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2019-04-011010.3389/fphys.2019.00418455599Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned PigletsC. M. Yang0Q. J. Han1K. L. Wang2Y. L. Xu3J. H. Lan4G. T. Cao5Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, The Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health and Internet Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, The Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health and Internet Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, The Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health and Internet Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, The Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health and Internet Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, ChinaKey Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, The Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health and Internet Technology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, ChinaCollege of Standardization, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, ChinaAntibiotic resistance is a major issue in animal industries and antibiotic-free alternatives are needed to treat infectious diseases and improve performance of pigs. Plant extracts have been suggested as a potential solution. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Astragalus polysaccharides (Aps) and ginseng polysaccharide (Gps) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune function, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and microfloral community in weaned piglets. A total of 180 weaned piglets were randomly divided into three treatment groups during a 28-days feeding experiment, including a basal diet (Con), basal diet supplemented with 800 mg/kg Aps (Aps), and basal diet supplemented with 800 mg/kg Gps (Gps). Results showed that both Aps and Gps increased body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion rate, and reduced the rate of diarrhea. Gps also decreased aspartate aminotransferase compared to the Con piglets after 14 days. No significant effects on alanine aminotransferase were observed. Both Aps and Gps piglets exhibited higher serum immunoglobulin M levels after 14 and 28 days, and also decreased jejunal crypt depth, increased jejunal villus length and villus height/crypt depth ratio, and increased expression of toll-like receptor 4, myeloid differentiation primary response 88, nuclear factor-kappa B proteins in the jejunum. Aps and Gps piglets also had higher concentrations of acetic acid, isobutyric acid, and butyrate in their colon. Data of high-throughput sequencing revealed that Aps and Gps affected bacterial quantity and diversity in the colon. Species richness and evenness were higher in both Aps and Gps piglets than the control piglets. Aps and Gps piglets also had a higher relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Anaerostipes, and the Aps piglets had a higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus gasseri and L. amylovorus. Therefore, dietary supplementation with Aps and Gps could be beneficial for optimizing the performance of industry pigs and reducing dependence on antibiotics. Furthermore, Plant polysaccharides play a great role in promoting the sustainable development of animal husbandry.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2019.00418/fullAstragalus polysaccharideginseng polysaccharidevolatile fatty acidsmicroflora communitypiglet |
| spellingShingle | C. M. Yang Q. J. Han K. L. Wang Y. L. Xu J. H. Lan G. T. Cao Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets Frontiers in Physiology Astragalus polysaccharide ginseng polysaccharide volatile fatty acids microflora community piglet |
| title | Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets |
| title_full | Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets |
| title_fullStr | Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets |
| title_short | Astragalus and Ginseng Polysaccharides Improve Developmental, Intestinal Morphological, and Immune Functional Characters of Weaned Piglets |
| title_sort | astragalus and ginseng polysaccharides improve developmental intestinal morphological and immune functional characters of weaned piglets |
| topic | Astragalus polysaccharide ginseng polysaccharide volatile fatty acids microflora community piglet |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2019.00418/full |
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