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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.

Sec. Ethnopharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1649388

The eubiotic perspective on utilization of tannins in phytotherapy and nutrition of pigs

Provisionally accepted
  • 1Microbiota Lab, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Bioanalysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
  • 2Institute of Animal Nutrition, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Gastrointestinal eubiosis is essential for maintaining overall host well-being. Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) is a common issue in pig development, arising from weaning stress, which disrupts the gut microbiota balance and increases susceptibility to infections. The primary bacterial pathogen linked to PWD is enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). While antibiotics have traditionally been used for prevention and treatment of ETEC infections, their use is declining due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens and restrictions on the use of growth-promoting antimicrobials. Consequently, eubiotics are increasingly valued in pig nutrition as a safer alternative to antibiotics. While prebiotics and probiotics are well-studied, phytochemicals like tannins, despite the long history of their traditional use in ethnoveterinary medicine, remain largely unexplored. This review explores the eubiotic properties of tannins and their potential applications in swine nutrition and phytotherapy. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that tannin-rich plant materials positively influence intestinal microbiota and epithelium, resulting in enhanced nutrient absorption, growth performance, and overall health in pigs. Moreover, they indicate that tannins possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiparasitic properties which can be beneficial in pig farming. This review also highlights the safety of tannin supplementation, along with its environmental and economic advantages. Furthermore, it discusses potential strategies to mitigate tannin toxicity. Finally, it points out the existing research gaps and suggests directions for further research. In summary, it presents tannins as promising eubiotic agents for improving gut health and combating PWD.

Keywords: Tannins, eubiotics, Phytotherapy, Gut homeostasis, post-weaning diarrhea

Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Kostenko, Vlasova, Równicki, Krüsselmann, Vahjen, Zentek, Tymoszewska and Piwowarski. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Aleksandra Tymoszewska, Microbiota Lab, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Bioanalysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.