AUTHOR=Su Jiayi , Zhu Qian , Zhao Yue , Han Li , Yin Yulong , Blachier Francois , Wang Zhanbin , Kong Xiangfeng 

TITLE=Dietary Supplementation With Chinese Herbal Residues or Their Fermented Products Modifies the Colonic Microbiota, Bacterial Metabolites, and Expression of Genes Related to Colon Barrier Function in Weaned Piglets

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03181

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.03181

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=To explore the feasibility of dietary Chinese herbal residue (CHR) supplementation in swine production with the objective of valorization, we examined the effects of dietary supplementation with CHR or fermented CHR products on the colonic ecosystem, i.e. microbiota composition, luminal bacterial metabolites, and expression of genes related to the intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets. We randomly assigned 120 piglets to one of four dietary treatment groups: a blank control group, CHR group (supplement dose of 4 kg/t), fermented CHR group (supplement dose of 4 kg/t), and a positive control group (supplementing 0.04 kg/t virginiamycin, 0.2 kg/t colistin, and 3000 mg/kg zinc oxide). Our results indicated that dietary supplementation with CHR increased (P < 0.05) the mRNA level of E-cadherin compared with that observed in the other three groups, increased (P < 0.05) the mRNA level of zonula occludens-1 and decreased (P < 0.05) the quantity of Bifidobacterium spp. compared with that in the blank control group. Dietary supplementation with fermented CHR decreased (P < 0.05) the concentration of indole compared with that in the positive control group; increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids compared with observed in the CHR group, as well as the mRNA levels corresponding to interleukin 1 alpha, interleukin 2, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. However, supplementation with fermented CHR decreased (P < 0.05) interleukin 12 levels with respect to those of the blank control group. Collectively, these findings suggest that dietary supplementation with CHR or fermented CHR modifies the gut environment of weaned piglets.