Shuqin Mu

Weaning is known to induce oxidative stress and dysregulated inflammatory responses, thus damaging performance growth. This research was conducted to investigate the effects of dulcitol (Dul) on the growth performance and gut health of weaned piglets using multi-omics technologies. Two groups (n = 6, 6 pigs per replicate) of piglets (28 days old, BW, 8.91 ± 0.18 kg) were randomly assigned to receive either a basal diet supplemented with Dul (500 mg/kg) or without it for a period of 28 days. The findings indicated that the addition of Dul to the diet improved growth performance and had positive effects on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory statuses in weaned piglets (p < 0.05). Dul also strengthened intestinal barrier integrity via decreased diamine oxidase and D-lactate and elevated tight junction proteins (i.e., ZO-1, CLDN, and OCLN, p < 0.05). Multi-omics analyses demonstrated that Dul induced modifications in colonic protein expression associated with oxidative stress and glucose metabolism, altered linoleic acid metabolic pathways, and restructured the gut microbiota. This restructuring was characterized by a decreased prevalence of genera linked to inflammation and oxidative stress, including Proteobacteria, Prevotella, and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group. Collectively, the findings indicate that Dul promotes intestinal wellness and growth in weaned piglets through intricate interactions between gut microbiota and host metabolic processes.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of graded levels of red yeast rice residue (RYRR) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and fecal microbiota of growing-finishing pigs. A total of 144 pigs were randomly allocated into four dietary treatment groups, over a 75-day experimental period. The study comprised a control group and three dietary supplementation groups receiving RYRR. The control (CON) group was fed a two-phase diet tailored to the pigs’ body weight, while the RYRR groups were provided with the CON diet, where corn, soybean meal, puffed soybeans, and wheat shorts were substituted with 5%, 10%, and 20% of RYRR. Supplementation with 10% RYRR enhanced the apparent digestibility of gross energy, dry matter, and crude fiber, while reducing the feed-to-gain ratio and serum triglyceride levels (p < 0.05). Microbiological analyses revealed that short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (Anaerotignum and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-009) were biomarkers in pigs fed the RYRR supplementation diets (p < 0.05). These results demonstrated that RYRR supplementation of the diet exerted beneficial effects on promoting nutrient digestibility as well as modulating the fecal microbiota of pigs, and the recommended proportion of RYRR added to the growing-finishing pigs’ diet is 10%.

As an important factor secreted by skeletal muscle, myonectin can regulate lipid metabolism and energy metabolism, but its role in the utilization of peripheral free fatty acids (FFAs) by porcine intramuscular fat cells remains to be further investigated. In this study, porcine intramuscular adipocytes were treated with recombinant myonectin and palmitic acid (PA), either alone or in combination, and then were examined for their uptake of exogenous FFAs, intracellular lipid synthesis and catabolism, and mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids. The results showed that myonectin decreased the area of lipid droplets in intramuscular adipocytes (p < 0.05) and significantly increased (p < 0.05) the expression levels of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Moreover, myonectin can up-regulate the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). Myonectin significantly promoted the uptake of peripheral FFAs (p < 0.01), improved (p < 0.05) the expression of fatty transport protein 1 (FATP1) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) in intramuscular adipocytes. Myonectin also significantly increased (p < 0.05) the expression levels of fatty acid oxidation markers: transcription factor (TFAM), uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) and oxidative respiratory chain marker protein complex I (NADH-CoQ) in mitochondria of intramuscular adipocytes. In summary, myonectin promoted the absorption, transport, and oxidative metabolism of exogenous FFAs in mitochondria, thereby inhibiting lipid deposition in porcine intramuscular adipocytes.

Background Based on our previous research conducted on cinnamaldehyde (CA) exhibiting its ability to improve the growth performance of fattening pigs and the adipogenesis induction model of C2C12 cells constructed in our laboratory, we explored the effects of CA on the generation and development of lipid droplets (LDs) in adipogenic differentiated C2C12 cells. Methods and results C2C12 cells were treated with either 0.4 mM or 0.8 mM CA. BODIPY staining and triglyceride measurements were conducted to observe the morphology of LDs, and Western blotting was used to measure the expression of their metabolism-related proteins. The results showed that the average number of LDs in the CA treatment groups was more than the control group (P < 0.05), whereas the average LD size and triglyceride content decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression levels of fusion-related genes in the LDs of the CA treatment group significantly decreased, while decomposition-related genes and autophagy-related genes in the LDs in C2C12 cells significantly increased (P < 0.01). Conclusion Cinnamaldehyde promoted the decomposition and autophagy of lipid droplets in C2C12 cells and inhibited the fusion of lipid droplets.

This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of fermented bamboo powder (FBP) on the growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, immunoglobulins and inflammatory cytokines, and fecal microbial composition of growing–finishing pigs. A total of 108 barrows (initial body weight, 56.30 ± 0.55 kg) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments in a 75 d trial, including a control (CON) diet and two FBP supplementation diets. The CON diet was formulated to three-phase diets according to the body weight of pigs, and the FBP diets were formulated used 5.00% (FBP1) or 10.00% (FBP2) FBP to replace the wheat bran in the CON diet, respectively. The results showed that there were no influences on growth performances between the CON diet and FBP addition diets, whereas the 5% FBP addition decreased the feed:gain of pigs compared to the pigs fed the FBP2 diet from d 0–75 (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the FBP addition increased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) content in serum (linear, p < 0.05), and pigs fed the FBP1 diet had greater HDLC and IgA contents in serum than those in the pigs fed the CON diet (p < 0.05). Microbial analysis showed that the FBP addition diets decreased the abundance of Spirochaetes, and the FBP2 diet increased the abundance of Firmicutes more than the CON diet (p < 0.05). In addition, the pigs fed the FBP2 diet increased the abundance of uncultured_bacterium_f_Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, and Lactobacillus more than the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the FBP supplementation to the diet had no negative effects on the growth performance and exerted beneficial effects on promoting serum biochemical and immune indices, as well as modulating the fecal microbiota of pigs. Therefore, these results showed that the fermented bamboo powder could be one potential fiber-rich ingredient for growing–finishing pigs, and that the recommended addition proportion in the growing–finishing pigs’ diet is 5%.

This study aims to investigate the influence of adding Lonicera japonica (L. japonica) and Radix Puerariae crude extracts and their mixture to the diet of finishing pigs on their fecal microbes and nutrient apparent digestibility. A total of 72 healthy Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred barrows without significant differences in body weight (93 ± 2 kg) were selected and randomly divided into four groups (18 in each group). Three replicate pens per group (six pigs per pen) were used, and two pigs were evaluated for each pen. The groups were fed the following diets: control group (CON), basic diet; chlorogenic acid group (CGA group), basic diet + 1 kg/ton L. japonica crude extract; Pueraria flavonoid group (PF group), basic diet + 1 kg/ton Radix Puerariae crude extract; and mix group (Mix group), basic diet + 0.5 kg/ton L. japonica crude extract + 0.5 kg/ton Radix Puerariae crude extract. The following results were obtained: (1) At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria, Fibrobaeteres, and Kiritimatiellaeota were the main components of the fecal microbiota (top 5); the relative abundance of bacteria from phyla Firmicutes significantly increased in the Mix group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). At the genus level, Treponema_2, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, uncultured_bacterium_f_Lachnospiraceae, uncultured_bacterium_f_Prevotellaceae, and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group were the main components of the fecal microbiota (top 5); the relative abundance of bacteria from genus Lactobacillus significantly increased in the Mix group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). Chao1 and Ace counts were significantly higher in group CGA than in the CON group and group Mix (p < 0.05). The alpha and beta diversities and the relative abundance of fecal microbes were higher in all test groups than in the CON group. (2) The protein digestibility was significantly higher in the CGA and PF groups than in the CON group, and the TP digestibility was significantly higher in the CGA than in the CON and Mix groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, Lonicera japonica and Radix Puerariae crude extract supplementation in the diet significantly changed fecal microbiota and improved the protein and TP digestibility of finishing pigs.