Piglets and diets
We conducted all animal studies in accordance with the guidelines and regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee approved by Korea University (Seoul, Republic of Korea). The experiment was performed at a clean, controlled research farm at Dankook University in Cheonan, Republic of Korea. A total of 140 early-weaned piglets (L × Y × D; 21 days old) were randomly allotted to four treatments according to their body weight (BW; initial BW: 6.57 kg). Each treatment was replicated seven times, and there were five piglets in each pen (each pen being an experimental unit). The dietary treatments consisted of CON (basal diet), SPL5 (5 mg/kg SPL supplementation), SPL10 (10 mg/kg SPL supplementation), and SPL15 (15 mg/kg SPL supplementation). The feed composition and calculated nutritional values are shown in Table 1. The feed and SPL were supplied by EASY BIO Inc. (Seoul, Republic of Korea). Feed and water were supplied ad libitum to the pigs during the experiment. The raising program consisted of three phases: phase 1, day 1–7; phase 2, day 8–21; phase 3, day 22–42. The BW and feed intake were measured biweekly to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed efficiency (FE).
Table 1
Composition and nutritional value of basal diets1
Ingredients, % | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
Corn | 47.80 | 53.90 | 62.40 |
Soybean meal | 5.00 | 20.15 | 24.20 |
Fish meal | 4.50 | 4.00 | 3.00 |
Plasma powder | 5.00 | 2.50 | 0.00 |
Whey powder | 20.00 | 10.00 | 5.00 |
Lacotse | 8.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 |
Soybean oil | 5.50 | 2.50 | 2.00 |
Lysine sulfate | 0.38 | 0.46 | 0.32 |
Methionine | 0.31 | 0.24 | 0.16 |
Threonine | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.10 |
Tryptophane | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.02 |
Choline chloride | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
MCP | 0.86 | 1.17 | 0.60 |
Limestone | 1.52 | 1.00 | 1.33 |
Salt | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.20 |
Zinc oxide | 0.28 | 0.28 | 0.28 |
Vitamin premix2 | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.12 |
Mineral premix3 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.15 |
Phytase | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
NSPase | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
Total | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
Calculated value | | | |
ME (kcal/ kg) | 3673.00 | 3544.00 | 3467.00 |
CP (%) | 20.63 | 19.80 | 18.80 |
Calcium (%) | 0.98 | 0.75 | 0.75 |
Phosphate (%) | 0.65 | 0.68 | 0.50 |
Lysine (%) | 1.60 | 1.41 | 1.22 |
Methionine (%) | 0.62 | 0.55 | 0.46 |
Threonine (%) | 1.07 | 0.95 | 0.83 |
Tryptophan (%) | 0.32 | 0.29 | 0.24 |
1Abbreviations: |
CP, crude protein; MCP, monocalcium phosphate; ME, metabolizable energy; NSPase, non-starch polysaccharidase. |
2Provided per kilogram of complete diet: vitamin A, 12,000 IU; vitamin D3, 2,500 IU; vitamin E, 30 IU; vitamin K3, 3 mg; pantothenic acid, 15 mg; nicotinic acid, 40 mg; choline, 400 mg; vitamin B12, 12 µg |
3Provided per kilogram of complete diet: iron, 90 mg; copper, 8.8 mg; zinc, 100 mg; manganese, 54 mg; iodine, 0.35 mg; selenium, 0.30 mg. |
Table 3
Growth performance of weaning pigs fed experimental diets
Gene name | Sequence (forward, reverse) | Reference |
Housekeeping gene | |
GAPDH | F: 5’- GAGGTCGGAGTGAACGGAT − 3’ | [38] |
R: 5’- CCTGGGTCGAATCATACTGGAACA − 3’ |
Inflammatory cytokines | |
IL-8 | F: 5’- TTTCTGCAGCTCTCTGTGAGG − 3’ | [39] |
R: 5’- CTGCTGTTGTTGTTGCTTCTC − 3’ |
IFN-γ | F: 5’- GTTTTTCTGGCTCTTACTGC − 3’ | [40] |
R: 5’- CTTCCGCTTTCTTAGGTTAG − 3’ |
TNF-α | F: 5’- ATCGGCCCCCAGAAGGAAGAG − 3’ | [41] |
R: 5’- GATGGCAGAGAGGAGGTTGAC − 3’ |
IL-10 | F: 5’- GCATCCACTTCCCAACCA − 3’ | [42] |
R: 5’- CTTCCTCATCTTCATCGTCAT − 3’ |
Tight junction proteins | |
ZO-1 | F: 5’- AAGCCCTAAGTTCAATCACAATCT − 3’ | [43] |
R: 5’- ATCAAACTCAGGAGGCGGC − 3’ |
OCLD | F: 5’- TCCTGGGTGTGATGGTGTTC − 3’ | [43] |
R: 5’- CGTAGAGTCCAGTCACCGCA − 3’ |
CLDN1 | F: 5’- TCGACTCCTTGCTGAATCTG − 3’ | [38] |
R: 5’- TTACCATACCTTGCTGTGGC − 3’ |
Mucin production | |
MUC2 | F: 5’- GGCTGCTCATTGAGAGGAGT − 3’ | [44] |
R: 5’- ATGTTCCCGAACTCCAAGG − 3’ |
| Dietary SPL levels (ppm) | Polynomial contrast2 |
| 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | SEM1 | L | Q | C |
Body weight, kg | | | | | | |
Week 0 | 6.56 | 6.58 | 6.60 | 6.57 | 0.24 | 0.990 | 0.978 | 0.970 |
Week 2 | 10.16 | 10.15 | 10.19 | 10.08 | 0.25 | 0.918 | 0.924 | 0.908 |
Week 4 | 16.34 | 16.49 | 16.51 | 16.27 | 0.26 | 0.926 | 0.718 | 0.945 |
Week 6 | 24.97 | 25.43 | 25.26 | 24.82 | 0.28 | 0.825 | 0.465 | 0.901 |
Overall | | | | | | | | |
ADG, g | 438.26 | 448.91 | 444.21 | 434.39 | 2.55 | 0.446 | 0.048 | 0.621 |
ADFI, g | 598.14 | 602.64 | 589.87 | 591.21 | 4.36 | 0.410 | 0.881 | 0.430 |
FE | 0.733 | 0.746 | 0.754 | 0.736 | 0.006 | 0.777 | 0.219 | 0.684 |
1 Standard error of mean. |
2 L, linear; Q, quadratic; C, cubic |
Sample Collection
At the end of the experiment, 21 piglets (one piglet per pen, randomly selected) were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected from the jugular vein into heparin-coated plasma tubes (BD Vacutainer; Beckton Dickinson Rowa Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark) for analysis of biochemical markers (glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood urea nitrogen, albumin, and creatinine). Thereafter, jejunal and cecal samples were obtained, immediately frozen using dry ice, and stored at -80°C until further analysis. In addition, parts of the jejunum were fixed in a 4% formalin solution for histological analysis.
Blood biochemical markers
The concentrations of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood urea nitrogen, albumin, and creatinine in the plasma samples were determined using commercial kits (EMBIELTM, Seoul, Korea) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The absorbance of samples was measured using a spectrophotometer (Zenyth 200rt; Biochrom, Berlin, Germany) at a specific wavelength, and the concentration of samples was calculated using the standard curve of each biomarker.
Histological analysis of the jejunum
The fixed jejunum samples were embedded into paraffin blocks, and 5 µm cross-sections were prepared using a rotary microtome (CUT 5062; SLEE Medical, Mainz, Germany). The jejunum sections were then stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Alcian blue. Subsequently, a total of 15 villi and 15 crypts were randomly selected per experimental unit, and a single observer measured the villus height and crypt depth, and counted the number of goblet cells.
RNA extraction from the jejunum and cecum
Total RNA from jejunal and cecal samples were extracted using Trizol® (Invitrogen, Grand Island, NY, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and the concentration and purity of RNA were determined using a Nanodrop spectrophotometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Wilmington, DE, USA). Subsequently, cDNA samples were synthesized using a High-Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription kit (Applied Biosystems, Carlsbad, CA, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
RNA analysis and cecal bacteria analysis by qRT-PCR
Gene expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-8, IL-8; interferon-γ, IFN-γ; tumor necrosis factor-α, TNF-α; and interleukin-10, IL-10) and tight junction proteins (zonula occludens-1, ZO-1; occludin, OCLD; and claudin 1, CLDN1) in jejunal samples were determined by qRT-PCR using a RealHelixTM Premier qPCR kit (NanoHelix, Daejeon, Korea) with a StepOnePlus Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems). Additionally, the expression levels of mucin 2 (MUC2) were also determined in both the jejunum and cecum. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was used as a housekeeping gene. The 2−ΔΔCT method was used to quantify relative mRNA expression levels. The primers for the target genes are listed in Table 2.
Cecal gDNA extraction and quantification
DNA was extracted using a DNeasyPowerSoil Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The extracted DNA was subsequently quantified using Quant-IT PicoGreen (Invitrogen).
Library construction and Sequencing
The sequencing libraries were prepared according to the Illumina 16S Metagenomic Sequencing Library protocols to amplify the V3 and V4 regions. The input gDNA, 2 ng, was PCR amplified using 5× reaction buffer, 1 mM dNTP mix, 500 nM each of the universal F/R PCR primers, and Herculase II fusion DNA polymerase (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The cycling conditions for the first PCR were 3 min at 95°C for heat activation, and 25 cycles of 30 s at 95°C, 30 s at 55°C, and 30 s at 72°C, followed by a 5 min final extension at 72°C. The universal primer pair with Illumina adapter overhang sequences used for the first amplification were as follows: V3-F: 5′-TCGTCGGCAGCGTCAGATGTGTATAAGAGACAGCCTACGGGNGG CWGCAG-3′, V4-R: 5′- GTCTCGTGGGCTCGGAGATGTGTATAAGAGACAGGACTAC HVGGGTATCTAATCC-3′. The first PCR product was purified using AMPure beads (Agencourt Bioscience, Beverly, MA, USA). Following purification, 2 µL of the first PCR product was PCR amplified for final library construction containing the index using NexteraXT Indexed Primer. The cycling conditions of the second PCR were the same as those for the first PCR, except those 10 cycles were run. Thereafter, the PCR product was purified using AMPure beads. The final purified product was then quantified using qPCR according to the qPCR Quantification Protocol Guide (KAPA Library Quantification kits for Illumina Sequencing platforms) and qualified using the TapeStation D1000 ScreenTape (Agilent Technologies Deutschland GmbH, Waldbronn, Germany). Paired-end (2 × 300 bp) sequencing was performed at Macrogen using the MiSeq™ platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA).
Cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) measurement
The concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the cecal contents was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Briefly, 10 mg of cecal contents were homogenized with an extraction solution consisting of 100 µL of internal standard (100 µmol/L crotonic acid), 100 µL hydrochloric acid, and 200 µL ether. After vigorous vortexing for 10 min, the homogenates were centrifuged at 1,000 × g for 10 min, and 80 µL of the supernatant was transferred into new glass vials. Aliquots were mixed with 16 µL of N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide, and the vials were sealed tightly. The glass vials were heated at 80°C for 20 min in a water bath and then left at room temperature for 48 h for derivatization. The derivatized samples were run through a 6890N Network GC System with an HP-5MS column and 5973N network mass selective detector (Agilent Technologies Deutschland GmbH). Pure helium was used as the carrier gas delivered at a 1.2 mL/min flow rate. The head pressure was set to 97 kPa with a 20:1 split. The inlet and transfer line temperatures were 250 and 260°C, respectively. The temperature program was as follows: 60°C for 3 min, 60–120°C (5°C/min), and 120–300°C (20°C/min). The run time was 30 min, and the SCFA concentrations were quantified by comparing their peak areas with the standards.
Statistical Analysis
Growth performance was analyzed using the GLM procedures of SAS (1989), and polynomial contrasts (linear, quadratic, and cubic) were used to test the effect of SPL supplementation levels. The other physiological parameters (serum biochemical markers, gut histological data, gene expression levels in the jejunum and cecum, gut microbial population, and cecal SCFA concentrations) were analyzed using analysis of variance. All data analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Significant differences between the treatments were determined using Duncan’s multiple range tests at a p < 0.05 level of significance.