Animal Husbandry and Feed Science ›› 2022, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (5): 39-47.doi: 10.12160/j.issn.1672-5190.2022.05.007

• Animal Nutrition and Feed Science • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Advances in Nutritional Strategies for Improvement of Intestinal Health and Function in Early Weaned Piglets

ZHANG Xue-li1,LIU Xiao-dan1,JIN Er-hui1,2,3,DU Min1,2,ZHANG Feng1,2   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science,Anhui Science and Technology University,Chuzhou 233100,China
    2. Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Regulation and Health,Chuzhou 233100,China
    3. Anhui Anfengtang Animal Medicine Industry Co.,Ltd.,Hefei 230000,China
  • Received:2022-06-04 Online:2022-09-30 Published:2022-09-21

Abstract:

In commercial swine production, the early weaning stage of piglets (3-4 weeks of age) is the key period of intestinal function development. Weaning stress is primarily responsible for the continuous intestinal barrier function deterioration that results in bacterial and viral enteritis, as well as post-weaning diarrhea in weaned piglets. Under the background of ′antibiotic-free′ in the feed end, researchers are focusing on adopting nutritional approaches to enhance the intestinal function of early weaned pigs. In this paper, the underlying mechanisms of intestinal barrier function damage caused by early weaning and those of improving intestinal function of piglets by nutritional strategies such as amino acids, antimicrobial peptides, probiotics, dietary fiber, oligosaccharides, organic acids, micro-nutrients, and lipid nutrition were reviewed in relation to the affects of early weaning on the intestinal barrier function of piglets and the impacts of various nutritional strategies on the improvement of intestinal barrier function of weaned piglets, in hoping to provide references for the research on improving the intestinal function of weaned piglets through nutritional strategy.

Key words: piglet, early weaning, intestinal barrier function, intestinal health, nutritional strategies

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