This study aimed to determine the regulatory mechanism of dietary zinc lactate (ZL) supplementation on intestinal oxidative stress damage in a paraquat (PQ)-induced piglet model. Twenty-eight piglets (mean body weight 9.51 ± 0.23 kg) weaned at 28 d of age were randomly divided into control, ZL, PQ, and ZL + PQ groups (n = 7 in each group). The ZL-supplemented diet had little effect on growth performance under normal physiological conditions. However, under PQ challenge, ZL supplementation significantly improved average daily gain (P < 0.05) and reduced the frequency of diarrhea. ZL improved intestinal morphology and ultrastructure by significantly increasing the expression level of the jejunal tight junction protein, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) (P < 0.05), and intestinal zinc transport and absorption in PQ-induced piglets, which reduced intestinal permeability. ZL supplementation also enhanced the expression of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory factor-related genes and decreased inflammatory cytokine expression and secretion in PQ-induced piglets. Furthermore, ZL treatment significantly inhibited the activation of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) signaling (P < 0.01) in PQ-induced piglets and altered the structure of the gut microbiota, especially by significantly increasing the abundance of beneficial gut microbes, including UCG_002, Ruminococcus, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Christensenellaceae_R_7_group, Treponema, unclassified_Christensenellaceae, and unclassified_Erysipelotrichaceae (P < 0.05). These data reveal that pre-administration of ZL to piglets can suppress intestinal oxidative stress by improving antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity and regulating the crosstalk between CAR signaling and gut microbiota.

T-2 toxin is one of the most widespread and toxic fungal toxins in food and feed. It can cause gastrointestinal toxicity, hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity in humans and animals. T-2 toxin is physicochemically stable and does not readily degrade during food and feed processing. Therefore, suppressing T-2 toxin-induced organ toxicity through antidotes is an urgent issue. Protective agents against the organ toxicity of T-2 toxin have been recorded widely in the literature, but these protective agents and their molecular mechanisms of detoxification have not been comprehensively summarized. In this review, we provide an overview of the various protective agents to T-2 toxin and the molecular mechanisms underlying the detoxification effects. Targeting appropriate targets to antagonize T-2 toxin toxicity is also an important option. This review will provide essential guidance and strategies for the better application and development of T-2 toxin antidotes specific for organ toxicity in the future.

Optimal intestinal health and functionality are essential for animal health and performance, and simultaneously intestinal nutrient transporters and intestinal peptides are also involved in appetite and feed intake control mechanisms. Given the potential of essential oil (EO) in improving animal performance and improving feed palatability, we hypothesized that dietary supplementation of cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol could improve performance and appetite of nursery pigs by modulating intestinal health and microbiota. Cinnamaldehyde (100 mg/kg), carvacrol (100 mg/kg), and their mixtures (including 50 mg/kg cinnamaldehyde and 50 mg/kg carvacrol) were supplemented into the diets of 240 nursery pigs for 42 d, and data related to performance were measured. Thereafter, the influence of EO on intestinal health, appetite and gut microbiota and their correlations were explored. EO supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the body weight, average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of piglets, and reduced (P < 0.05) diarrhea rates in nursery pigs. Furthermore, EO increased (P < 0.05) the intestinal absorption area and the abundance of tight junction proteins, and decreased (P < 0.05) intestinal permeability and local inflammation. In terms of intestinal development and the mucus barrier, EO promoted intestinal development and increased (P < 0.05) the number of goblet cells. Additionally, we found that piglets in the EO-supplemented group had upregulated (P < 0.05) levels of transporters and digestive enzymes in the intestine, which were significantly associated with daily gain and feed utilization. In addition, EO supplementation somewhat improved appetite in nursery pigs, increased the diversity of the gut microbiome and the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and there was a correlation between altered bacterial structure and appetite-related hormones. These findings indicate that EO is effective in promoting growth performance and nutrient absorption as well as in regulating appetite by improving intestinal health and bacterial structure.

Low-fishmeal and protein-saving diets are two prominent nutritional strategies utilized to address challenges related to the scarcity and sustainability of protein sources in aquaculture. However, these diets have been associated with adverse effects on the growth performance, feed utilization, and disease resistance of aquatic animals. To mitigate these challenges, exogenous protease has been applied to enhance the quality of diets with lower protein contents or fishmeal alternatives, thereby improving the bioavailability of nutritional ingredients. Additionally, protease preparations were also used to enzymatically hydrolyze fishmeal alternatives, thus enhancing their nutritional utilization. The present review aims to consolidate recent research progress on the use of protease in aquaculture and conclude the benefits and limitations of its application, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of the subject and identifying opportunities for future research.

This experiment aimed to discuss and reveal the effect and mechanism of mannanase on intestinal inflammation in broilers triggered by a soybean meal diet. In this experiment, 384 Arbor Acres broilers at 1 d old were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups. The broilers were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet, a low-energy diet (metabolizable energy reduced by 50 kcal/kg), and a low-energy diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg mannanase for 42 d. The low-energy diet increased feed conversion ratio from 0 to 42 d, reduced ileal villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio and upregulated the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in the ileum (P < 0.05). It also reduced cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), such as acetic acid (P < 0.05). Compared with low-energy diets, the addition of mannanase increased body weight at 42 d, promoted the digestibility of nutrients, and maintained the morphology and integrity of the intestinal epithelium of broilers (P < 0.05). In addition, mannanase upregulated the expression of claudin-1 (CLDN1) and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in the jejunum at 21 d, downregulated the expression of ileal NF-κB, and increased the content of isobutyric acid in the cecum of broilers (P < 0.05). The results for the ileal microbiota showed that a low-energy diet led to a decrease in the relative abundance of Lactobacillus reuteri in the ileum of broilers. The addition of mannanase increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus-KC45b and Lactobacillus johnsonii in broilers. Furthermore, a low-energy diet reduced the relative abundance of Butyricicoccus in the intestine of broilers and inhibited oxidative phosphorylation and phosphoinositol metabolism. Mannanase increased the relative abundance of Odoribacter, promoted energy metabolism and N-glycan biosynthesis, and increased the activities of GH3 and GH18. It is concluded that mannanase could improve the growth performance of broilers by reducing the expression of NF-κB in the ileum, increasing the production of SCFA in the cecum, suppressing intestinal inflammation, balancing the intestinal microbiota, reducing damage to the intestinal barrier, and improving the efficiency of nutrient utilization to alleviate the adverse effects caused by the decrease in dietary energy level.

The present study was to explore the Ile requirement of piglets fed 18% crude protein (CP) diets. Two hundred and fifty 28-day-old Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire piglets (8.37 ± 1.92 kg) were randomly divided into 5 dietary treatments (10 piglets per replicate, 5 barrows and 5 gilts per replicate) with 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Ile-to-Lys ratios, and the SID Lys was formulated to 1.19%. The experimental design consisted of two phases (d 1 to 14 and d 15 to 28). Results showed that average daily gain (ADG) had a tendency to quadratically increase as the SID Ile-to-Lys ratio increased (P = 0.09), and the optimum SID Ile-to-Lys ratios required to maximize ADG were 48.33% and 54.63% for broken-line linear model and quadratic polynomial model, respectively. Different SID Ile-to-Lys ratios had no significant effects on average daily feed intake and gain-to-feed ratio. Dry matter (P < 0.01), CP (P = 0.01), ether extract (P = 0.04), gross energy (P < 0.01) and organic matter (P < 0.01) digestibility increased quadratically. Serum total cholesterol levels decreased linearly (P = 0.01) and quadratically (P < 0.01); aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.01), interleukin-1β (P = 0.01), and tumor necrosis factor-α (P < 0.01) levels decreased quadratically; immunoglobulin G (P = 0.03) and immunoglobulin M (P = 0.01) concentrations increased quadratically. Serum Ser levels decreased linearly (P < 0.01) and quadratically (P = 0.01); Glu (P = 0.02), Arg (P = 0.05), and Thr (P = 0.03) levels decreased quadratically; Gly (P < 0.01) and Leu (P = 0.01) levels decreased linearly; Ile (P < 0.01) concentration increased linearly. Duodenal villus height (P < 0.01) and villus height to crypt depth ratio (P < 0.01) increased quadratically. The deficiency or excess of Ile decreased short chain fatty acid-producing bacteria abundance and increased pathogenic bacteria abundance. Overall, taking ADG as the effect index, the optimum SID Ile-to-Lys ratios of piglets offered 18% CP diets were 48.33% and 54.63% based on two different statistical models, respectively, and the deficiency or excess of lle negatively affected piglet growth rates and health status.

This study evaluated the effects of flavonoids from mulberry leaves (FML) on plasma biochemical indices, serum activities of lipid metabolism-related enzymes, fat morphology, fatty acid composition, and lipid metabolism in different adipose tissues of finishing pigs. We used 120 Chinese hybrid barrows of Berkshire and Bama mini-pigs with an average initial body weight of 45.11 ± 4.23 kg. The pigs were randomly assigned to five treatment groups and fed a control diet based on corn, soybean meal, and wheat bran or a control diet supplemented with 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.08%, or 0.16% FML. Each experimental group had six replicates (pens), with four pigs per pen. After a 7-d adaptation period, the feeding trial was conducted for 58 d. Blood and adipose tissue samples were collected from 30 pigs (one pig per pen) at the end of the test. The results showed that FML supplementation significantly decreased the feed intake to body gain ratio, the plasma concentrations of total cholesterol and free fatty acids, and the serum activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (linear or quadratic effects, P < 0.05), and decreased the plasma triglyceride concentration (quadratic, P = 0.07). Increasing FML supplementation increased the average daily gain and serum activities of lipoprotein lipase (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.05) and adipose triglyceride lipase (linear, P < 0.05). Dietary FML supplementation decreased the adipocyte area in the dorsal subcutaneous adipose (DSA) tissue of finishing pigs (linear, P = 0.05) and increased the adipocyte area in the visceral adipose tissue (quadratic, P < 0.01). Increasing FML supplementation decreased the C20:1 content in DSA, abdominal subcutaneous adipose, and visceral adipose tissues of finishing pigs (P < 0.05) and increased the C18:3n3 and n-3 PUFA contents (P < 0.05). The lipid metabolism genes were regulated by the PPARγ-LXRα-ABCA1 signaling pathway, and their expressions differed in different adipose tissues. These findings suggest that FML improved growth performance, regulated lipid metabolism, inhibited fat production, and improved fatty acid distribution in the adipose tissue of finishing pigs, thereby improving pig fat's nutritional quality and health value.

Fat is one of the three macronutrients and a significant energy source for piglets. It plays a positive role in maintaining intestinal health and improving production performance. During the weaning period, physiological, stress and diet-related factors influence the absorption of fat in piglets, leading to damage to the intestinal barrier, diarrhea and even death. Signaling pathways, such as fatty acid translocase (CD36), pregnane X receptor (PXR), and AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK), are responsible for regulating intestinal fat uptake and maintaining intestinal barrier function. Therefore, this review mainly elaborates on the reasons for diarrhea induced by insufficient fat absorption and related signaling pathways in weaned-piglets, with an emphasis on the intestinal fat absorption disorder. Moreover, we focus on introducing nutritional strategies that can promote intestinal fat absorption in piglets with insufficient fat absorption-related diarrhea, such as lipase, amino acids, and probiotics.

An experiment was conducted to determine the standardized ileal digestible (SID) calcium requirement of fast-growing broilers from hatch to d 14 post-hatch. Ross 308 (n = 360) male broilers were obtained on day of hatch and allocated to 1 of 5 treatments in battery cages. There were 6 birds per cage and 12 pens per treatment. Four treatments were formulated to contain 0.60%, 0.46%, 0.32% or 0.18% SID Ca. The final treatment was formulated using total Ca to meet or exceed all nutrient requirements, including 0.90% total Ca and 0.49% non-phytate P (nPP), using the same ingredients. This treatment was the reference diet for comparison and validation of the SID Ca diets. Birds and feed were weighed at placement and on d 14. Tibias and ileal contents were obtained on d 14 and excreta was collected per pen and pooled on d 14. Data were analyzed using JMP Pro and requirements were estimated using 3 different non-linear regression models. Increasing the SID Ca content in the diet from 0.18% to 0.60% improved (quadratic, P < 0.05) body weight gain and mortality corrected feed conversion ratio (mFCR). The estimated SID Ca requirement to optimize gain or mFCR was between 0.39% and 0.52%. Tibia ash percent and weight increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as SID Ca content in the diet increased and the estimated SID Ca requirement was between 0.32% and 0.58%. Phosphorus utilization was improved in birds fed diets formulated using SID Ca compared with birds fed the reference diet. In conclusion, the SID Ca requirement of fast-growing broilers from hatch to d 14 was estimated between 0.534% and 0.398% when quadratic, straight-broken line, or quadratic-broken line regressions were used. These results agree with previously published data evaluating the SID Ca requirement of fast-growth broilers from hatch to d 10.

Piglet diarrhea is among one of the most serious health problems faced by the pig industry, resulting in significant economic losses. Diarrheal disease in piglets has a multifactorial etiology that is affected by physiology, environment, and management strategy. Diarrhea is the most apparent symptom of intestinal dysfunction. As a key class of essential nutrients in the piglet diet, amino acids confer a variety of beneficial effects on piglets in addition to being used as a substrate for protein synthesis, including maintaining appropriate intestinal integrity, permeability and epithelial renewal, and alleviating morphological damage and inflammatory and oxidative stress. Thus, provision of appropriate levels of amino acids could alleviate piglet diarrhea. Most amino acid effects are mediated by metabolites, gut microbes, and related signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of dietary amino acid effects on gut health and diarrhea incidence in piglets, and reveal the mechanisms involved. We also provide ideas for using amino acid blends and emphasize the importance of amino acid balance in the diet to prevent diarrhea in piglets.