The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide (GCP) on growth performance, blood parameters and immunity in weaned piglets. A total of 240 (10.33 ± 0.62 kg body weight) 35‐day‐old (Duroc × Landrace × White) weaned piglets were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments, with six replicate pens per treatment and 10 piglets per pen (five males and five females). The dietary treatments continued for 21 days and comprised a basal diet supplemented with 0 (control group), 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg GCP. The results showed that the inclusion of 1000 and 2000 mg/kg GCP increased the average daily gain and decreased the feed conversion rate compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The piglets treated with 500 and 1000 mg/kg GCP had a lower diarrhoeal incidence than the control group (p < 0.05). Moreover, supplementation with 1000 mg/kg GCP increased the counts of white blood cells, neutrophils, red blood cells, and platelets, and elevated alkaline phosphatase, total protein, globulin, glucose, triglyceride, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, and total antioxidant capacity levels (p < 0.05), and decreased malondialdehyde content compare with the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, relative to the control group, piglets fed 500 and 1000 mg/kg GCP had significantly lower expression of interleukin‐6 mRNA in spleen (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that dietary supplementation with GCP can improve growth performance, blood parameters and immunity in weaned piglets. Our study suggests that adding 1000 mg/kg GCP to the diet had the most beneficial effect.

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Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental toxic heavy metal. Naringin (Nar) is reported to have a protective effect on Cd-induced liver injury. This study aimed to explore the hepatic injury induced by Cd and the protective effects of Nar on Cd-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in rat liver. Methods: In accordance with groups, male SD rats were injected intraperitoneally with Cd and orally with Nar every day. The treatment period was 3 weeks. Body weight, the morphological changes in liver, the activity of antioxidant indices and expression of the apoptotic genes caspase-3 and -9 were assessed. Result: Results showed that the body weight of Cd-exposed rats decreased, the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in liver decreased, the glutathione content decreased and the malondialdehyde content increased. Further, Cd-induced hepatic structural damage and cell apoptosis were observed. However, Nar could alleviate liver damage caused by Cd. Therefore, Cd caused oxidative damage and cell apoptosis in rat liver, while Nar had preventive and ameliorative effects on these injuries.