An alternative ZnO with large specific surface area: Preparation, physicochemical characterization and effects on growth performance, diarrhea, zinc metabolism and gut barrier function of weaning piglets

Su, Weixu; Li, Zhixue; Gong, Tao; Wang, Fengqin; Jin, Mingliang; Wang, Yizhen; Lu, Zeqing

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163558

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Contrary to the finding of Zhang [25], we did not find any impact of Zn addition on ADFI. What is more, the decreased diarrhea rate resulting from ZnO and saZnO supplementation was also in line with the notable effect of ZnO [13,14,20,26]. Previous studies have reported that coated-ZnO and nano-ZnO showed better effects on growth performance compared with ZnO supplementation in piglets [6,11].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…The long-term use of ZnO can effectively promote growth performance and attenuate diarrhea for post-weaning piglets [ 12 , 13 ]. However, excessive Zn accumulation leads to emission pollution, severe residues in meats and microbial resistance development [ 6 , 15 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past decades, zinc oxide (ZnO) has been globally used to relieve the post-weaning diarrhea and promote the growth performance of weaned piglets [ 12 , 13 ]. It was recognized as a potential substitute for antibiotics to relieve piglet diarrhea after weaning [ 11 , 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was recognized as a potential substitute for antibiotics to relieve piglet diarrhea after weaning [ 11 , 14 ]. However, the long-term use of high-dose ZnO can also lead to a messy coat and pale skin in piglets, as well as animal toxicity [ 13 ]. More importantly, the majority of ZnO cannot be absorbed and is finally excreted through feces, causing Zn emission pollution, severe heavy metal residues and microbial resistance development [ 6 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nano-ZnO, as an inorganic Zn, has a high bioavailability and is more effectively absorbed by animals than ZnO [ 11 , 13 , 18 ]. The literature has reported that dietary nano-ZnO and ZnO significantly improved average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) and reduced fecal scores and the diarrhea incidence of piglets compared to the control group, while lower doses of nano-ZnO (500 mg/kg) showed the same growth as the pharmacological doses of ZnO (2500 mg/kg), suggesting that nano-ZnO could be a potential substitute for ZnO to improve growth performance and prevent diarrhea [ 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Sodium Alginate-Coated Nano-Zinc Oxide on the Growth Performance, Serum Indexes and Fecal Microbial Structure of Weaned Piglets

Xiao,

Guo,

Liu

et al. 2023

Animals

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High dose of zinc oxide (ZnO) could improve growth performance and alleviate disease status, whereas it caused serious environmental pollution and bacterial resistance. This study was to investigate whether low doses of sodium alginate-coated nano zinc oxide (saZnO), a new type of zinc resource, could serve as a potential alternative to pharmacological doses of traditional ZnO in weaned piglets. A total of 144 crossbred piglets were randomly allocated into three groups, including a basal diet without the addition of Zn (CON), a basal diet with 1600 mg Zn/kg from traditional ZnO (ZnO), and a basal diet with 500 mg Zn/kg from saZnO (saZnO). The experiment lasted for 28 days. The results showed that supplementing with ZnO and saZnO for 14 and 28 days significantly improved body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) (p < 0.01) and markedly reduced the feed intake-to-gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05) and diarrhea rate. In addition, dietary ZnO and saZnO significantly increased the activities of the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p < 0.01). Supplementing with saZnO also promoted the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), IgM and copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) in serum (p < 0.05), whereas a ZnO addition decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.05), indicating the beneficial effect of Zn on antioxidant and immune functions. Piglets fed the ZnO diet showed higher serum Zn accumulations than those fed the CON and saZnO diets at d 28 (p < 0.01), and supplementing with ZnO and saZnO markedly contributed to Zn excretion in feces, especially in the ZnO diet (p < 0.01). Additionally, piglets fed the saZnO diet had greater valeric acid concentrations (p < 0.05) in their feces, while other short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were not affected by different treatments (p > 0.05). Microbial alpha diversity was reduced in the saZnO group compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), while an obvious separation of microbial composition, the marker of beta diversity, was shown among the three groups (p < 0.05). At the genus level, six genera, including Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Terrisporobacter, f_Muribaculaceae, Subdoligranulum and Intestinibacter, were pronouncedly increased in the ZnO and saZnO groups (p < 0.05); another nine species were dramatically downregulated, such as f_Lachnospiraceae, f_Prevotellaceae, f_Butyricicoccaceae and f_Ruminococcaceae (p < 0.05). Finally, a functional analysis indicated that altered microbes significantly changed the “Metabolism” pathway (p < 0.05). These findings suggested that saZnO could act as a feasible substitute for ZnO to reduce Zn emission and enhance growth performance, antioxidant and immune functions, and to adjust the structure of gut microbiota in piglets.

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