Study On The Effects Of Berberis Abstract Instead Of Antibioatic In Weaned Piglets

To search the substitute of antibiotics feed additives, we distilled the extract from the root of Berberidis. and used this extract to replace oxytetracycline as piglet dietary supplementation. 128 crossbred weaned pigs (Durocx Landrace xYoukshire) with similar weight were divided into 4 treatments randomly, each treatment was replicated four times and eight piglets caged together formed the experimental unit. The three trail groups were provided diets with 200mg/kg, 500mg/kg and 1000mg/kg berberis extract supplementation respectively and the control group were supplied diet with 100mg/kg oxytetracycline supplementation. The experimental period lasted 6 weeks and and the results are:Decocted the root of Berberis soulieana Schneid which native to Shanxi Province and got black and bitter aqueous extract. The aqueous extract ratio of the root is 19.8% and the berberine ratio of the aqueous extract was determined by HLPC and the result was 19.8%.Compared with the control group, the pigs average daily gain of the groups which had 500mg/kg and 200mg/kg berberis extract in the diet increased respectively 13.38%(P<0.05) and 5.68%9(P<0.05). 500mg/kg aqueous extract can drop the diarrhoea incidence significantly (P<0.05) and the diarrhoea incidence of other three groups was not different significantly (P>0.05). With the quantity of the berberis extract in the pig diet, the intake of the pigs decreased and the pigs of 200mg/kg berberis extract group had more feed than the control group and the other experimental group pigs had less feed than the control group, but the difference was not remarkable.The feed content 500mg/kg berberis extract can get higher digestibility of all the nutrient, and the digestibility of calcium and total phosphorus were significantly higher than the control group feed(P<0.05); the digestibility of crude protein was significantly higher than the 200mg/kg berberis extract group. The nutrient digestibility of 1000mg/kg berberis extract group slightly worse than 500mg/kg berberis extract group but higher than the other two groups, the digestibility of calcium and total phosphorus were significantly higher than the control group feed (P<0.05), the total phosphorus digestibility higher than the 200mg/kg berberis extract group remarkablely (P＜0.05); 200mg/kg berberis extract group had the same nutrient digestibility to the control groupCompared with oxytetracycline, the berberis extract can enhance pig immunity and 200mg/kg berberis extract can significantly improve the concentration of serum SFD antibody(P＜0.05), the concentration of serum SFD antibody was not significantly different in the other three group pigs(P＞0.05). With the increasing of the berberis extract in the pig diet, the concentration of RBC, WBC and HGB of the pigs were increased, and the experimental group higher than the control group (P＜0.05) and the three experimental groups was not different (P＞0.05). The 200mg/kg and 500mg/kg berberis extract can significantly increase the activity of serum ALT and AST and the concentration of serum TP than (P＜0.05), and the three indexes of the control group was higher than the 1000mg/kg berberis extract group (P＜0.05). With the increasing of berberis extract in the pigs diet the pigs serum GLU and Ca2+ concentration were decreased, the control group has higher serum GLU and Ca²⁺ concentration than the other three group (P＜0.05). With the increasing of the crude extract in the pigs diet, the pigs serum GSH-XP and SOD activity were improved and MAD concentration was decreased, the three group which had berberis extract diet have higher serum GSH-XP and SOD activity than the control group (P＜0.05) and lower serum MAD concentration(P＜0.05).At the end of the sixth week, selected four similar pigs respectively in the 500mg/kg berberis extract and the control group to slaughtered to survey the indexes. Compared with oxytetracycline, The berberis extract can detract the pH value of piglet gastrointestinal tract (P＞0.05), enrich lactobacilli in jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon remarkably (P＜0.05) and anaerobe(P＞0.05), suppress colibacillus in jejunum, ileum, and cecum and aerobes in ileum significantly (P＜0.05), the berberis extract can also significantly increase the acetic acid and total VFA concentrate of jejunum and acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid and total VFA of colon (P＜0.05).Conclusion: the berberis extract can decrease the diarrhoea incidence and improved growth performance of pigs. The effect of improving pig growth performance of berberidis extract is super to oxytetracycline. The concentration of 500mg/kg in the piglet diet is best, compared to the control group, the berberis extract can improve pig nonspecific immunity and specific immunity. 500mg/kg and 200mg/kg concentration of feed can improve the nutrient metabolizability of piglets. The berberis extract can modulate piglet's intestinal bacteria, increase lactobacilli and anaerobe and suppress colibacillus and aerobian.