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The study evaluated the effects of dietary multigrain carbohydrase in lactation diets on immune response and gut microbiota of lactating sows and their litters. A total of 12 sows (218.37 ± 5.5 kg BW; 2.0 parity) were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatments: a diet based on corn-soybean meal (CON) and CON supplemented with 0.01% multigrain carbohydrase. Sows were fed the dietary treatments for 28 days (lactation) after farrowing. Blood samples were collected from sows on d 0, 3, and 7 after farrowing and randomly selected 2 nursing piglets in each sow on d 3, 7, and 14 after birth. Measurements were serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol and immunoglobulin G, M, and A by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Three sows per dietary treatment and two nursery pigs were randomly selected to collect feces on d 7 and 28 after farrowing to verify their microbiota changes by pyrosequencing analysis. Data were analyzed using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS. There were no differences in immune response of lactating sows between CON and MCS. However, TNF-α of nursery pigs from sows fed MCS was increased on d 3 of lactation (244.14 vs. 282.11 pg/ml; P < 0.05) compared with those from sows fed CON. Nursing pigs from MCS-sows had lower CRP on d 7 of lactation (128.65 vs. 92.63 ng/ml; P < 0.05) than those from CON-sows. No differences were detected on TGF-β, cortisol and immunoglobulin G, M, and A of nursery pigs between dietary treatments. During lactation period, MCS increased (P < 0.05) genus Lactobacillus in gut microbiota of sows and their litters compared with CON. In conclusion, addition of dietary multigrain carbohydrase in the lactation diet influenced immune responses and gut microbiota of lactating sows and their litters.

This study was conducted to investigate effects of dietary flavor on immune responses and gut microbiota of weaned pigs. A total of 72 weaned pigs (initial BW = 6.66 ± 0.32 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatments (4 pigs/pen; 9 replicates/treatment) in randomized complete block design (block = BW). The dietary treatments were 1) a commercial diet based on corn and soybean meal with spray dried plasma, fish meal, and zinc oxide (CON) and 2) CON + 0.05% flavor (FLA) containing milky cream flavor (Luctarom®, Lucta Guangzhou, China). Pigs were fed respective dietary treatments for 6 weeks. Blood was collected from randomly selected one pig in each pen on d 0, 7, and 14 after weaning. Three pigs per dietary treatment were randomly selected to collect feces on the last day of the experiment to verify their gut microbiota. Measurements were the number of white blood cells (WBC) by an automated hematology analyzer calibrated for porcine blood and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and cortisol by the ELISA and gut microbiota by metagenomics analysis with pyrosequencing. The immune responses data were analyzed using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS. The gut microbiota data were analyzed using CLcommunity program. Pigs fed FLA had lower WBC on d 7 (P < 0.10) and 14 (P < 0.05), TNF-α on d 7 (P < 0.10), and IL-6 on d 7 (P < 0.10) than those fed CON. The FLA increased (P < 0.05) phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus and Clostridium in gut microbiota of weaned pigs compared with CON, but decreased (P < 0.05) phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Prevotella. In conclusion, the addition of dietary flavor in the commercial diet modified immune responses and modulated gut microbiota of weaned pigs.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of spray dried plasma (SDP) in lactation diets on immune responses of lactating sows and their litters. A total of 12 lactating sows (227.75 ± 7.50 kg BW; parity = 2.0 ± 0.7) were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments were a typical lactation diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON) and CON supplemented with 1% of SDP (SDP). Sows were fed experimental diets from d 30 before expected farrowing to weaning. Blood Samples were collected from sows on d 0, 3, and 7 after farrowing and randomly selected 2 piglets in each sow on d 3 and 7 after birth. Measurements were serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol, and immunoglobulin (Ig)G, M, and A from their litters by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were analyzed using the PROC GLM of SAS. Sows fed SDP tended (P < 0.10) to have lower serum TNF-α on d 3 (264.94 vs. 281.96 pg/ml) and d 7 (249.35 vs. 272.15 pg/ml) than sows fed CON. Moreover, SDP tended (P < 0.10) to decrease of serum TGF-β (311.37 vs. 448.07 pg/ml) and cortisol (0.47 vs. 0.55 ng/ml) on d 3 compared with CON. The litters from sows fed SDP tended (P < 0.10) to reduce serum TNF-α (349.87 vs. 423.57 pg/ml), TGF-β (853.49 vs. 980.41 pg/ml), and cortisol (0.62 vs. 1.05 ng/ml) on d 7 than litters from sows fed CON. However, there were no differences on CRP, IgG, IgM, and IgA of sows and their offspring between CON and SDP. In conclusion, supplementation of dietary spray dried plasma in lactation diets may reduce inflammatory responses of sows and their litters.

The experiment was conducted to investigate effects of brown rice as alternatives on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut microbiota of growing-finishing pigs. A total of 50 growing pigs (23.80 ± 2.96 kg BW) were randomly allotted to 2 dietary treatments (5 pigs/pen; 5 replicates/treatment) in a randomized complete block design (block = BW). Dietary treatments were a grower-finisher diet based on corn-soybean meal (CON) and the other diets formulated by replacing corn with 100 % of brown rice (BR). Pigs were fed respective dietary treatments for 12 weeks during growing and finishing periods, respectively. For the last week of experiment period, pigs were fed respective dietary treatments containing 0.2 % chromic oxide as an indigestible marker. Fecal samples were collected from randomly selected 1 pig in each pen daily for the last 3 d after the 4 d adjustment period. Measurements were growth performance, nutrient digestibility by an index method and gut microbiota by metagenomic analysis with pyrosequencing. Data were analyzed using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS. The pyrosequencing data was analyzed using CLcommunity program. There were no differences on growth performance and nutrient digestibility during overall experimental period between dietary treatments. No differences were detected on gut microbiota of growing pigs between dietary treatments. Finishing pigs fed BR increased (P < 0.05) phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Barnesiella in gut microbiota compared with those fed CON. However, decreased (P < 0.05) phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus and Streptococcus in gut microbiota were observed in finishing pigs fed BR compared with those fed CON. In conclusion, substitution of corn with brown rice in growing-finishing diets may modulate gut microbiota of pigs without no negative effects on growth performance.

This experiment was conducted to investigate immune responses of weaned pigs from lactating sows fed palm kernel expellers. Total 12 lactating sows (200 ± 12 kg BW; 2.5 parity) were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. The treatments were a diet based on corn-soybean meal (CON) and CON replaced by 20% of palm kernel expellers (PKE). Sows were fed the dietary treatments from d 30 before farrowing to weaning. Weaned pigs were allotted to pens by treatments of lactating sows (6 replicates/treatments of lactating sows) and fed a typical nursery diet for 6 wk. Measurements were serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortisol by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Blood were collected from randomly selected 2 weaning pigs per replicate on weaning day, d 3, 7, and 14 after weaning. Data were analyzed using the PROC GLM procedure of SAS. The statistical model for every measurement included dietary effect. Weaned pigs from lactating sows fed PKE tended to have higher TNF-α (304.16 vs. 272.22 pg/ml; P = 0.077) on d 3 compared with those from lactating sows fed CON. There were no differences on serum CRP and cortisol between weaned pigs from sows fed CON and PKE. Consequently, diets replaced by 20% of PKE for lactating sows affected immune responses of their weaned pigs compared with those from lactating sows fed CON.

This study was conducted to characterize the effects of dietary multigrain carbohydrase on colostrum and milk miRNA of lactating sows. A total of 12 sows (218.37 ± 5.5 kg BW; 2.0 parity) were housed in individual pens for 28 d after farrowing to weaning and randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatments (3 sows/treatment): 1) a typical lactation diet based on corn-soybean meal (CON) and 2) CON added with 0.01% of multigrain carbohydrase (MCS). The MCS contained xylanase, glucanase, and cellulase. Three sows per dietary treatment were randomly selected to collect colostrum within 24 h after farrowing and mature milk at weaning for measuring immune-related miRNA, including let-7a, miR-182, miR-191, miR-21, miR-27b-3p, and miR-30a-5p, by quantitative RT-PCR. The MCS group showed higher expression of all miRNA, especially miR-191 (P < 0.05), in colostrum than the CON group. On the other hand, expression levels of immune-related miRNA in mature milk were similar between the MCS and the CON, only miR-182 were highly expressed in the mature milk of the MCS (P < 0.05). In conclusion, addition of dietary multigrain carbohydrase in the lactation diets altered the expression of immune-related miRNA in colostrum and mature milk.

This experiment was conducted to investigate effects of dietary protease on immune responses of weaned pigs. Weaned pigs (n = 75; 7.06 ± 0.18 kg BW; 28 d old) were randomly assigned to 3 treatments (5 pigs/pen; 5 pens/treatment). Dietary treatments were positive control, a diet with required protein level (PC), negative control, a diet with lower protein level than PC (NC), and NC + 0.02% dietary protease (PRO). The dietary protease used in this experiment was a commercial product containing 75,000 protease units/g derived from Nocardiopsis prasina produced in Bacillus licheniformis. The dietary treatments did not contain any ingredients or additives that may provide antibacterial or physiological effects. Pigs were fed respective dietary treatments for 6 weeks. Blood was collected from randomly selected 2 pigs in each pen on d 1, 3, 7, and 14 after weaning. Measurements were number of white blood cells (WBC), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Pigs fed PRO had lower WBC on d 7 (14.84 vs 20.42 × 103/ μL; p < 0.05) and TNF-α on d 7 (618 vs 889 pg/mL; p = 0.085) and 14 (437 vs 576 pg/mL; p = 0.069) than those fed NC, but there were no differences on WBC and TNF-α between PC and PRO. Pigs fed PRO had lower TGF-β1 on d 3 (630 vs. 1,588 and 1,396 pg/mL; p < 0.05) than those fed PC and NC. However, no differences were found on CRP among dietary treatments. In conclusion, addition of dietary protease reduced inflammatory immune responses of weaned pigs.