The effects of supplementing the diet of the sow with seaweed extracts and fish oil on aspects of gastrointestinal health and performance of the weaned piglet

作者：Leonard S G; Sweeney T; Pierce K M; Bahar B; Lynch B P; O'Doherty J V^*

来源：Livestock Science, 2010, 134(1-3): 135-138.

DOI：10.1016/j.livsci.2010.06.118

• Sow
• Seaweed extracts
• Fish oil
• Sow
• Piglet health

A 2 x 2 factorial study (n = 10 sows/treatment) was performed to investigate the effects of maternal dietary supplementation with seaweed extract (SWE) (yes vs. no) and fish oil (FO) inclusion (0 vs. 100 g/day) from day 109 of gestation until weaning (24 days) on piglet performance and intestinal microflora, intestinal morphology and inflammatory gene expression in 9 day old weaned piglets. There was an interaction between SWE and FO on E. coli populations (P<0.05) in the caecum and villous height to crypt depth ratio in the ileum (P<0.01). Piglets from SWE supplemented sows had lower E. coli populations in the caecum and increased vinous height to crypt depth ratio in the ileum compared to the basal diet (P<0.05). However, there was no effect of SWE on E. coli populations and villous height to crypt depth ratio with FO inclusion. The mRNA expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1 alpha and IL-6) was increased in the colon of FO supplemented piglets (P<0.05) and SWE supplementation induced an increase in ileal TNF-alpha expression (P<0.01). Piglets from SWE supplemented sows had improved daily gains (P<0.05) post weaning while FO increased daily gain (P<0.05) and gain to feed ratio (P<0.01) from days 7-14. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the influence of the maternal diet on aspects of piglet gut health and post-weaning performance.

• 出版日期2010-9