Diet supplemented either with dried chicory root or chicory inulin significantly influence kidney and liver mineral content and antioxidative capacity in growing pigs

According to the Regulation No. 1831/2003 of the European Parliament and European Union Council, the use of antibiotics as a dietary supplements has been prohibited. It seems that the administration of prebiotics, instead of antibiotics, into the pig's diet, may regulate the intestinal microbiota and has a long-term health-related impact on the host. Inulin-type fructans can stimulate mineral absorption from the gut. Additionally, it may regulate energy metabolism and activate enzymatic mechanisms preventing oxidative stress. The goal of the present study was to estimate the influence of dietary supplementation with dried chicory root or native chicory inulin on 1) liver histology; 2) liver and kidney lipid metabolism indices, activity of selected enzymes, concentration of macro- and micronutrients and heavy metals; 3) blood plasma, liver and kidney oxidative stress biomarkers and 4) blood plasma water-electrolyte homeostasis indices in growing pigs. The nutritional study was conducted on 24 piglets assigned to 3 dietary groups (n = 8): control (C) fed a basal diet and two experimental groups receiving basal diet supplemented with 2% of inulin (IN) either 4% of dried chicory root (CR). The animals were fed with a group-specific diets for 40 days and then subjected to euthanasia. Subsequently, blood, liver and kidney samples were harvested for further processing. In the control and experimental groups, no apparent morphological abnormalities in the liver tissues were seen. The percent of periodic acid Schiff positive glycogen liver cells was significantly lower in the CR group as compared to C and IN groups (P < 0.001). Chicory root supplementation improved blood plasma prooxidative-antioxidative balance - PAB (P < 0.001) and liver PAB (P < 0.01) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances - thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (P < 0.05). Feeding the CR diet increased calcium (P < 0.001) and potassium (P < 0.05) and decreased cadmium (P ≥ 0.05) content in the liver when compared to the C group. Administration of the CR and IN diets increased selenium (Se) and sodium concentrations, whereas decreased zinc content both in the liver (P < 0.01; P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively) and in the kidney (P < 0.01; P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) of pigs. Additionally, a higher concentration of lead (P < 0.05) was observed in the kidney of pigs fed the CR diet. In conclusion, both dietary supplements had a potential to significantly improve the Se status and oxidoreductive homeostasis in growing pigs.