Effect of Resin Acid and Zinc Oxide on Immune Status of Weaned Piglets Challenged With E. coli Lipopolysaccharide

Abstract

With the ban of zinc oxide (ZnO) at high dosages in piglet diets in Europe by 2022, alternative nutritional solutions are being tested to support piglet immune defence during their weaning, the most critical and stressful moment of pig production. The present study evaluated the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO; 2,500 mg/kg diet) and resin acid concentrate (RAC; 200 mg/kg diet) on the immune defence of weaned piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Piglets were challenged at days 7 and 21 post-weaning, and blood was sampled 1.5 and 3.0 h after each challenge to determine serum levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The levels of serum tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) increased at days 7 and 21, and those of IL-6 at day 21 when challenged piglets were fed a diet supplemented with ZnO. In challenged piglets fed with RAC, the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α were increased at days 7 and 21, except for that of IL-1β, which was not affected at day 21. The increased levels of these cytokines indicate the successful immune-modulatory effect of ZnO and RAC, which appears as a candidate to replace ZnO in weaned piglets' diets.

Effects of Tetrabasic Zinc Chloride on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Fecal Microbial Community in Weaned Piglets

“…Zinc is an essential trace element to maintain various physiological functions of the body, which can help in the development of the gastrointestinal tract, modulating the immune response and antioxidant system, and thus affecting the growth and health of piglets ( 14 – 16 ). Numerous studies have demonstrated that supplementing weaned piglet diets with pharmacological doses of ZnO could alleviate weaning stress and improve growth performance ( 3 , 17 , 18 ). However, the results of this study showed that dietary supplementation of 1600 mg Zn/kg from ZnO failed to improve the growth performance of piglets, which was consistent with the results reported by Mavromichalis et al ( 19 ).…”

Yeast-Fermented Rapeseed Meal Extract Is Able to Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Caused by Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharides and to Replace ZnO in Caco-2/HTX29 Co-Culture Cells

“…Diarrhea is one of the consequences of gut inflammation and pathogenic toxins. Zinc oxide (ZnO) in concentrations higher than 1000 ppm is licensed as a veterinary medicinal product for the treatment and control of post-weaning diarrhea in swine [ 1 ]. Its importance has increased since the banning of in-feed antibiotics [ 2 ].…”

Effect of dietary tall oil fatty acids and hydrolysed yeast in SNP2-positive and SNP2-negative piglets challenged with F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

“…Investigation of the mechanism of action was beyond the scope of this trial, but in-depth analyses of biological samples in research incorporating singular and combined use of the two feed ingredients are recommended to provide further indications regarding the observed effects. The efficacy of TOFA in reducing F4-ETEC PWD may be derived from its antimicrobial 11 , 26 , anti-inflammatory 27 , immunomodulatory 13 , 28 and gut microbiome stabilizing properties 28 , 29 . The TOFA product used consisted of resin acids such as abietic, dehydroabietic and pimaric acids, as well as free fatty acids such as (conjugated) linoleic, oleic and pinolenic acids.…”

“…The resin acids of TOFA are lipophilic diterpene carboxylic acids with antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities 8 – 11 . In previous in vivo studies, dietary TOFA was shown to improve performance and reduce PWD 12 and beneficially affect the immunological status of piglets 13 . Yeast and yeast derivatives are often used in farm animal diets because of their nutritional value and their positive effects on animal health and performance 14 – 16 .…”