The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs
Establishing a balanced and diverse microbiota in the GIT of pigs is crucial for optimizing health and performance throughout the production cycle. The post-weaning period is a critical phase, as it is often associated with dysbiosis, intestinal dysfunction and poor performance. Traditionally, intes...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/19/3012 |
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| author | Dillon P. Kiernan John V. O’Doherty Torres Sweeney |
| author_facet | Dillon P. Kiernan John V. O’Doherty Torres Sweeney |
| author_sort | Dillon P. Kiernan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Establishing a balanced and diverse microbiota in the GIT of pigs is crucial for optimizing health and performance throughout the production cycle. The post-weaning period is a critical phase, as it is often associated with dysbiosis, intestinal dysfunction and poor performance. Traditionally, intestinal dysfunctions associated with weaning have been alleviated using antibiotics and/or antimicrobials. However, increasing concerns regarding the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has prompted an industry-wide drive towards identifying natural sustainable dietary alternatives. Modulating the microbiota through dietary intervention can improve animal health by increasing the production of health-promoting metabolites associated with the improved microbiota, while limiting the establishment and proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Prebiotics are a class of bioactive compounds that resist digestion by gastrointestinal enzymes, but which can still be utilized by beneficial microbes within the GIT. Prebiotics are a substrate for these beneficial microbes and therefore enhance their proliferation and abundance, leading to the increased production of health-promoting metabolites and suppression of pathogenic proliferation in the GIT. There are a vast range of prebiotics, including carbohydrates such as non-digestible oligosaccharides, beta-glucans, resistant starch, and inulin. Furthermore, the definition of a prebiotic has recently expanded to include novel prebiotics such as peptides and amino acids. A novel class of -biotics, referred to as “stimbiotics”, was recently suggested. This bioactive group has microbiota-modulating capabilities and promotes increases in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in a disproportionally greater manner than if they were merely substrates for bacterial fermentation. The aim of this review is to characterize the different prebiotics, detail the current understating of stimbiotics, and outline how supplementation to pigs at different stages of development and production can potentially modulate the GIT microbiota and subsequently improve the health and performance of animals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:51:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc4f931f7f3a4fcfb31556f821c7e3c7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:51:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc4f931f7f3a4fcfb31556f821c7e3c72023-11-19T13:59:01ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-09-011319301210.3390/ani13193012The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in PigsDillon P. Kiernan0John V. O’Doherty1Torres Sweeney2School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6 Dublin, IrelandSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6 Dublin, IrelandEstablishing a balanced and diverse microbiota in the GIT of pigs is crucial for optimizing health and performance throughout the production cycle. The post-weaning period is a critical phase, as it is often associated with dysbiosis, intestinal dysfunction and poor performance. Traditionally, intestinal dysfunctions associated with weaning have been alleviated using antibiotics and/or antimicrobials. However, increasing concerns regarding the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has prompted an industry-wide drive towards identifying natural sustainable dietary alternatives. Modulating the microbiota through dietary intervention can improve animal health by increasing the production of health-promoting metabolites associated with the improved microbiota, while limiting the establishment and proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Prebiotics are a class of bioactive compounds that resist digestion by gastrointestinal enzymes, but which can still be utilized by beneficial microbes within the GIT. Prebiotics are a substrate for these beneficial microbes and therefore enhance their proliferation and abundance, leading to the increased production of health-promoting metabolites and suppression of pathogenic proliferation in the GIT. There are a vast range of prebiotics, including carbohydrates such as non-digestible oligosaccharides, beta-glucans, resistant starch, and inulin. Furthermore, the definition of a prebiotic has recently expanded to include novel prebiotics such as peptides and amino acids. A novel class of -biotics, referred to as “stimbiotics”, was recently suggested. This bioactive group has microbiota-modulating capabilities and promotes increases in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in a disproportionally greater manner than if they were merely substrates for bacterial fermentation. The aim of this review is to characterize the different prebiotics, detail the current understating of stimbiotics, and outline how supplementation to pigs at different stages of development and production can potentially modulate the GIT microbiota and subsequently improve the health and performance of animals.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/19/3012microbiotagut healthpost-weaningintestinal dysfunctionpathogen infectionantimicrobial resistance |
| spellingShingle | Dillon P. Kiernan John V. O’Doherty Torres Sweeney The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs Animals microbiota gut health post-weaning intestinal dysfunction pathogen infection antimicrobial resistance |
| title | The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs |
| title_full | The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs |
| title_short | The Effect of Prebiotic Supplements on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Associated Health Parameters in Pigs |
| title_sort | effect of prebiotic supplements on the gastrointestinal microbiota and associated health parameters in pigs |
| topic | microbiota gut health post-weaning intestinal dysfunction pathogen infection antimicrobial resistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/19/3012 |
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