ALBERT

Description: Tryptophan (Trp) plays an important role in piglet growth. However, the effect of dietary Trp on microbial flora is still poorly understood. A total of 40 28-d weaned piglets were allocated to four groups with 10 barrows per group and one pig per replicate. Piglets were fed a corn and soybean meal-based diet with 0.14%, 0.21%, 0.28%, or 0.35% Trp for four weeks. Five piglets from each diet group were euthanized, and blood and tissue samples were collected. The average daily body weight gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, spleen index, pancreas index, longissimus dorsi muscle index, plasma insulin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, kynurenine, and Trp concentrations of weaned piglets increased in a dose-dependent manner (p 〈 0.05). Compared with the 0.14% Trp diet, the adequate-Trp diets (0.21%, 0.28%, or 0.35%) down-regulated the relative abundances of 12 genera including Turicibacter, Prevotella, Mitsuokella, Anaerovibrio, Megasphaera, Succinivibrio, Sutterella, Desulfovibrio, and Methanobrevibacter (p 〈 0.05); up-regulated the abundances of Ruminococcaceae, Lactobacillus, and Muribaculaceae in the colon (p 〈 0.05); and augmented the mRNA level and concentration of porcine β-defensin 2 in the small intestinal mucosa (p 〈 0.05). Moreover, Trp-adequate diets increased the abundances of Trp hydroxylase, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, porcine β-defensin 2, phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin, and phosphorylated protein kinase B in the small intestinal mucosa (p 〈 0.05). We noted that a corn and soybean meal-based diet with 0.35% Trp may be a nutritional strategy to improve growth performance, intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, and intestinal microbial ecology in weaned piglets.

Description: This study isolates and identifies Pichia anomala (P. anomala) AR2016, and studies its effect on the growth and health of weaned pigs. A P. anomala strain from solid wine koji is isolated and identified using 26S rDNA analysis, and its culture conditions are optimized. Heat tolerance, bile salt tolerance, artificial gastric, and intestinal juice tolerance are evaluated. In our methodology, thirty 28 d Large White × Landrace × Rongchang weaned pigs were randomly divided into three groups with 10 barrows in each, and fed a maize-soybean meal diet and orally administered 0.85% saline (CK), 1 mL 1 × 109 cfu/mL Candida utilis (C. utilis), and 1 mL 1 × 109 cfu/mL P. anomala once daily for 28 days. A P. anomala strain was identified and named P. anomala AR2016. P. anomala AR2016 grew best in yeast extract peptone dextrose medium with pH 5.0 at 28 °C, 180 r/min and could tolerate 45 °C for 0.5 h, 0.2% pig bile salts, simulated gastric fluid, and 1.0% simulated intestinal fluid. Our results show that compared with the CK group, orally administered P. anomala AR2016 increases average daily gain, the ileal villus height, the ileal mucosal concentrations of occludin and zonula occluens-1, the serum glucose and total protein concentration, total superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidative capacity activity, the trypsin and lipase activity in jejunal and ileal contents, the jejunal and ileal mucosa mRNA levels of ALP, TNF-α, and TLR-2, and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Succinivibrionaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Prevotellaceae (p 〈 0.05). Compared with the CK group, oral administration of P. anomala AR2016 decreased the incidence of diarrhea, aspartate aminotransferase activity, alanine amino-transferase-activity, malondialdehyde, D-lactic acid and endotoxin content in serum, the mRNA level of aminopeptidase N of ileum mucosa, and the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Clostridiaceae, Campylobacteraceae, Vibrionaceae, Bacillus, and Pseudon (p 〈 0.05). Collectively, the study indicates that P. anomala AR2016 can tolerate high acidity and high bile salts, and has high survivability in the artificial gastric intestinal juice environment. Oral administration of P. anomala AR2016 improves the growth performance, reduces the incidence of diarrhea, enhances intestinal barrier function, and improves microflora in weaned pigs.

Description: This study aimed to investigate the effects of multi-bacteria solid-state fermented diets with different crude fiber (CF) levels on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and microbial flora of finishing pigs. The multi-bacteria solid-state fermented diets were made up of Lactobacillus amylovorus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida utilis. According to a 2 (factors) × 2 (levels) design, with the two factors being multi-bacteria solid-state fermentation (fed non-fermented diet or multi-bacteria fermentation) or CF levels (fed a basal diet containing 2.52% CF or 7.00% CF), a total of 36 finishing pigs (70.80 ± 5.75 kg) were divided into 4 treatments with 9 barrows per group: (1) pigs fed a diet containing 7.00% CF (HF), (2) pigs fed a multi-bacteria fermentation diet containing 7.00% CF (HFM), (3) pigs fed a diet containing 2.52% CF (LF), and (4) piglets fed a multi-bacteria fermentation diet containing 2.52% CF (LFM). This experiment lasted 28 days. The multi-bacteria solid-state fermented diet increased the backfat thickness (p 〈 0.05) and apparent total tract nutrient digestibility (ATTD) of CF, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP), 8 amino acids (Trp, Asp, Gly, Cys, Val, Met, Ile, and Leu), total essential amino acids (EAA), total non-essential amino acids (NEEA), and total amino acids (TAA) (p 〈 0.05). Multi-bacteria solid-state fermented diet increased serum concentrations of HDL-c, ABL, TP, and GLU, the serum enzyme activities of GSH-Px, T-AOC, SOD, and CAT (p 〈 0.05), the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Oscillospira, and Coprococcus (p 〈 0.05), and the abundance of YAMINSYN3-PWY, PWY-7013, GOLPDLCAT-PWY, ARGORNPROST-PWY, and PWY-5022 pathways (p 〈 0.05). The multi-bacteria solid-state fermented diet reduced the digestion amount of CF, NDF, and ADF (p 〈 0.05), the serum concentrations of TC, TG, LDL-c, BUN, and MDA (p 〈 0.05), the relative abundance of Streptococcaceae (p 〈 0.05), and the abundance of PWY-6470, PWY0-862, HSERMETANA-PWY, LACTOSECAT-PWY, MET-SAM-PWY, PWY-6700, PWY-5347, PWY0-1061, and LACTOSECAT-PWY pathways (p 〈 0.05). The high-fiber diet increased average daily feed intake (p 〈 0.05), the serum concentrations of TC, TG, LDL-c, BUN, and MDA (p 〈 0.05), the relative abundance of Clostridiaceae_Clostridium and Coprococcus (p 〈 0.05), and the abundance of TCA-GLYOX-BYPASS, GLYCOLYSIS-TCA-GLYOX-BYPASS, and PWY-6906 pathways (p 〈 0.05). The high-fiber diet reduced chest circumference (p 〈 0.05) and ATTD of ether extract (EE), CF, NDF, ADF, Ca, CP, 18 amino acids (Trp, Thr, Val, Met, Ile, Leu, Phe, Lys, His, Arg Asp, Ser, Glu, Gly, Ala, Cys, Tyr, and Pro), EAA, NEAA, and TAA (p 〈 0.05). The high-fiber diet also reduced the serum concentrations of HDL-c, TP, ABL, and GLU, the serum enzyme activities of T-AOC, GSH-Px, SOD, and CAT (p 〈 0.05), and the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Oscillospira (p 〈 0.05). There was no significant effect of the interaction between multi-bacteria fermentation and dietary CF levels, except on the digestion amount of CF (p 〈 0.05). The 7.00% CF had a negative effect on the digestion of nutrients, but multi-bacteria solid-state fermentation diets could relieve this negative effect and increase backfat thickness. High-fiber diets and multi-bacteria solid-state fermentation improved the diversity and abundance of fecal microorganisms in finishing pigs.