Low dose of coated zinc oxide is as effective as pharmacological zinc oxide in promoting growth performance, reducing fecal scores, and improving nutrient digestibility and intestinal morphology in weaned pigs

Changes in Diarrhea Score, Nutrient Digestibility, Zinc Utilization, Intestinal Immune Profiles, and Fecal Microbiome in Weaned Piglets by Different Forms of Zinc

“…Hu et al [ 37 ] reported that supplementation of diets with ZnO can improve the activation of digestive enzymes in the small intestine and pancreatic tissue, thereby improving the digestibility of nutrients. Other studies have reported that small intestine morphology improved due to the pharmacological supplementation with ZnO, resulting in improved nutrient digestibility and diarrhea score [ 42 , 43 ]. Our results indicated that supplementation with nano-ZnO could work similarly to that of ZnO pharmacological supplementation.…”

“…When comparing the relative biological value of organic zinc, considering zinc sulfate to be 1, the ratio was found to be 1.64. Li et al [ 43 ] reported that the bioavailability of zinc was affected by the form of zinc, and in contrast to inorganic zinc, organic zinc is absorbed through the amino acid system or the peptide transport system and shows a high digestibility. These findings are similar to those of the present study; in this study, pigs in the nano-ZnO treatment had a higher zinc digestibility than that in the ZnO treatment.…”

“…Many researchers have reported that dietary pharmacological supplementation of ZnO improves the microbial composition in the intestine, thereby reducing pathogenic microorganisms and increasing beneficial bacteria [ 13 , 14 , 16 ]. However, Lei & Kim [ 43 ] and Li et al [ 48 ] reported that coated or pharmacological supplementation of ZnO had no effect on Lactobacillus or E. coli concentrations in the small intestine and cecum. In our study, there was no significant difference in the concentration of E. coli in the feces.…”

Isolation of swine‐derived Lactobacillus plantarum and its synergistic antimicrobial and health‐promoting properties with ZnO nanoparticles

“…Results of experiments demonstrated that a pharmacological level of zinc in the form of zinc oxide (ZnO) (2000–3000 mg kg −1 ) can reduce diarrhoea incidence and promote growth performance of weaned piglet by modifying gut microbial balance (Milani et al ; Yu et al ). However, high‐dose dietary supplementation of ZnO contributes to a substantial amount of zinc excreted in urine and faeces due to its low absorption, which raises serious environmental pollution concerns (Lei and Kim ). Besides, the urinary and faecal zinc is also a potential environmental inducer of bacterial resistance (Poole ).…”

“…As an effective antibacterial agent, ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO) have a wide range of applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. More recently, dietary supplementation with a low‐dose nZnO has shown to be effective (even better) in promoting growth, reducing diarrhoea, and improving intestinal morphology as a pharmacological level of conventional ZnO in weaned piglets; and the effective dose ranges from 500 to 1000 mg kg −1 (Lei and Kim ; Wang et al ; Pei et al ). However, this effective dose of nZnO still exceeds the limit value recommended by European legislation.…”