Rice bran oil supplementation protects swine weanlings against diarrhea and lipopolysaccharide challenge

Early weaned piglets suffer from oxidative stress and enteral infection,which usually results in gut microbial dysbiosis,serve diarrhea,and even death.Rice bran oil(RBO),a polyphenol-enriched by-product of rice processing,has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties both in vivo and in vitro.Here,we ascertained the proper RBO supplementation level,and subsequently determined its effects on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced intestinal dysfunction in weaned piglets.A total of 168 piglets were randomly allocated into four groups of seven replicates(42 piglets each group,(21±1)d of age,body weight(7.60±0.04)kg,and half males and half females)and were given basal diet(Ctrl)or basal diet supplemented with 0.01%(mass fraction)RBO(RBO1),0.02%RBO(RBO2),or 0.03%RBO(RBO3)for 21 d.Then,seven piglets from the Ctrl and the RBO were treated with LPS(100μg/kg body weight(BW))as LPS group and RBO+LPS group,respectively.Meanwhile,seven piglets from the Ctrl were treated with the saline vehicle(Ctrl group).Four hours later,all treated piglets were sacrificed for taking samples of plasma,jejunum tissues,and feces.The results showed that 0.02%was the optimal dose of dietary RBO supplementation based on diarrhea,average daily gain,and average daily feed intake indices in early weaning piglets.Furthermore,RBO protected piglets against LPS-induced jejunal epithelium damage,which was indicated by the increases in villus height,villus height/crypt depth ratio,and Claudin-1 levels,as well as a decreased level of jejunal epithelium apoptosis.RBO also improved the antioxidant ability of LPS-challenged piglets,which was indicated by the elevated concentrations of catalase and superoxide dismutase,and increased total antioxidant capacity,as well as the decreased concentrations of diamine oxidase and malondialdehyde in plasma.Meanwhile,RBO improved the immune function of LPS-challenged weaned piglets,which was indicated by elevated immunoglobulin A(IgA),IgM,β-defensin-1,and lysozyme levels in the plasma.In addition,RBO supplementation improved the LPS challenge-induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota.Particularly,the indices of antioxidant capacity,intestinal damage,and immunity were significantly associated with the RBO-regulated gut microbiota.These findings suggested that 0.02%RBO is a suitable dose to protect against LPS-induced intestinal damage,oxidative stress,and jejunal microbiota dysbiosis in early weaned piglets.

Dietary ellagic acid supplementation attenuates intestinal damage and oxidative stress by regulating gut microbiota in weanling piglets

Intestinal oxidative stress triggers gut microbiota dysbiosis,which is involved in the etiology of postweaning diarrhea and enteric infections.Ellagic acid(EA)can potentially serve as an antioxidant supplement to facilitate weaning transition by improving intestinal oxidative stress and gut microbiota dysbiosis.Therefore,we aimed to investigate the effects of dietary EA supplementation on the attenuation of intestinal damage,oxidative stress,and dysbiosis of gut microbiota in weanling piglets.A total of126 piglets were randomly assigned into 3 groups and treated with a basal diet and 2 m L saline orally(Ctrl group),or the basal diet supplemented with 0.1%EA and 2 m L saline orally(EA group),or the basal diet and 2 m L fecal microbiota suspension from the EA group orally(FEA group),respectively,for 14 d.Compared with the Ctrl group,EA group improved growth performance by increasing average daily feed intake and average daily weight gain(P<0.05)and decreasing fecal scores(P<0.05).EA group also alleviated intestinal damage by increasing the tight junction protein occludin(P<0.05),villus height,and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio(P<0.05),while decreasing intestinal epithelial apoptosis(P<0.05).Additionally,EA group enhanced the jejunum antioxidant capacity by increasing the total antioxidant capacity(P<0.01),catalase(P<0.05),and glutathione/oxidized glutathione(P<0.05),but decreased the oxidative metabolite malondialdehyde(P<0.05)compared to the Ctrl group.Compared with the Ctrl group,EA and FEA groups increased alpha diversity(P<0.05),enriched beneficial bacteria(Ruminococcaceae and Clostridium ramosum),and increased metabolites short-chain fatty acids(P<0.05).Correspondingly,FEA group gained effects comparable to those of EA group on growth performance,intestinal damage,and intestinal antioxidant capacity.In addition,the relative abundance of bacteria shifted in EA and FEA groups was significantly related to the examined indices(P<0.05).Overall,dietary EA supplementation could improve growth performance and attenuate intestinal damage and oxidative stress by regulating the gut microbiota in weanling piglets.