Effect of diet supplemented with enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. on intestinal digestive function and immunity in weaned pigs

Abstract

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. (EA) on intestinal digestive function and immune capacity in weaned pigs. Firstly, a total of 300 21-day-old piglets were randomly allotted to five groups, including CON, EA1, EA2, EA3, and EA4 groups (basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 g/kg EA, respectively). At 50 days of age, the results showed that pigs in the EA3 group presented significant improvements (p < .05) of growth performance and health status when compared with those of the CON group. According to the results above, we considered 2 g/kg EA as the optimal dose for pig diets. Therefore, we selected 12 pigs from the CON and EA3 groups (n ¼ 6) at 51 days of age for further investigation in vivo. Compared with the CON group, EA3 group significantly increased (p < .05) small intestinal length of pigs, enhanced (p < .05) the activities of amylase, trypsin and Na þ-K þ-ATPase and the concentrations of glucose transporter in both jejunum and ileum. EA3 group had lower (p < .05) concentrations of interleukin 1b, interleukin 6 and tumour necrosis factor a in the jejunum and higher (p < .05) concentrations of interleukin 10, secretory immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G in the ileum of pigs than the CON group. These results demonstrated that EA provided a dietary nutritional means to improve intestinal function of weaned pigs and 2 g/kg was the optimal dose for weaned pigs in the present study. HIGHLIGHTS Dietary supplementation with 2 g/kg enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. increased growth performance and nutrient digestibility, decreased the incidence of diarrhoea in weaned pigs. The optimal dose of enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. in weaned pigs in the current study was 2 g/kg. Enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. inclusion increased the digestive function of weaned pigs. Diet supplemented with enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. reduced the inflammation and enhanced the immunity of weaned pigs.

Artemisia annua L. Aqueous Extract Promotes Intestine Immunity and Antioxidant Function in Broilers

“…In the present study, the content of intestinal pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β and IL-6, decreased in a dose-dependent fashion with the increase of dietary AAE, suggesting a greater improvement on the anti-inflammatory level of the intestine in broilers. Similar results were observed by Niu et al (25) who found that diet supplemented with enzymatically treated A. annua markedly decreased the content of IL-1β and IL-6 in intestinal mucosa of weaned pigs. Furthermore, studies found that the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 was reduced, which was related to the content of immunoglobulin in the intestinal mucosa, and increased immunoglobulin in the small intestine promoted efficient prevention of intestinal inflammatory conditions (34).…”

“…Our study found that the content of secretory IgA (sIgA), IgG, IgM in the small intestine of broilers increased with the increase of dietary AAE. Similarly, Niu et al (25) reported that a diet supplemented with enzymatically treated A. annua increased the content of sIgA and IgG in the jejunum and ileum mucosa of weaned pigs. In poultry, three classes of immunoglobulins bind antigens specifically and remove them through precipitation and phagocytosis.…”

“…Wan et al (23) also reported that dietary enzymatically treated A. annua could improve meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and energy status of breast muscle in broilers. Moreover, dietary enzymatically treated A. annua supplementation enhanced intestinal immunity and antioxidant capacity of weaned piglets (24,25). At high temperatures, dietary supplementation with enzymatically treated A. annua improved intestinal sIgA and IgG content, and antioxidant capacity of broilers (26).…”

Maternal supplementation withArtemisia annuaL. ameliorates intestinal inflammationviainhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB and MAPK pathways and improves the oxidative stability of offspring

“…13 Moreover, earlier work on weaned piglets showed that A. annua, as a feed supplement, could decrease the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the jejunum. 14 Recently, compelling evidence indicated that maternal A. annua intake is beneficial for their offspring. For instance, dietary supplementation of the enzymatically treated AAE at 1.0 g kg −1 greatly alleviated the oxidative stress in sows, and improved the activity of T-SOD and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in piglet serum.…”

“…13 Moreover, earlier work on weaned piglets showed that A. annua , as a feed supplement, could decrease the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the jejunum. 14…”