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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1470158

The Impact of Codonopsis Pilosulae and Astragalus Membranaceus Extract on Growth Performance, Immunity Function, Antioxidant Capacity and Intestinal Development of Weaned Piglets

Provisionally accepted

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

    The objective of this study was to examine the impact of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus extract (CA) on the growth performance, diarrhoea rate, immune function, antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in weaned piglets. A total of forty-eight 31-day-old weaned piglets, were divided into four groups randomly based on the treatment type: control group (CON), low dose group (LCA, 0.5% CA), medium dose group (MCA, 1.0% CA), and high dose group (HCA, 1.5% CA), and were fed for a duration of 28 days. On the morning of the 1st and 29th day, the piglets were assessed by weighing them on an empty stomach, recording their daily feed intake and diarrhoea rate. CA increased the average daily weight gain and reduced F/G without significant differences, and the diarrhoea rate was reduced in the LCA and MCA groups. Furthermore, the levels of T-AOC, SOD, GSH-Px, and MDA were increased.The levels of T-AOC in the LCA group and the MCA group, SOD in the MCA group, and GSH-Px in the HCA group were significantly higher compared with the CON group (P < 0.05). Additionally, CA significantly increased IgM, IgG, and IgA levels (P < 0.05). The results of gut microbiota analysis showed that the bacterial population and diversity of faeces were changed with the addition of CA to basal diets. CA increased the abundance of the beneficial bacterial Firmicutes and Lactobacillus. Additionally, Compared with the CON group, CA significantly increased the SCFAs content of weaned piglets (P < 0.05). Overall, CA can alleviate oxidative stress, improve immunity and antioxidant capacity, increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and the content of SCFAs for improving the intestinal barrier of piglets, thus promoting growth and reducing diarrhoea in weaned piglets.

    Keywords: Codonopsis pilosulae and Astragalus membranaceus extract, Weaned piglets, growth performance, antioxidant capacity, Immune performance, intestinal development. 1.Introduction

    Received: 25 Jul 2024; Accepted: 07 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Guo, Zhang, Jiang, Niu, Chen, Yuan, Wei and Hua. 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: Yongli Hua, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China

    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.