Effects Of Potassium Butyrate On The Growth And Its Mechanism In Weaned Piglets

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of potassium butyrate on the growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, correlated hormone and intestinal morphology in weaned piglets. The research results provide the reference for scientific application of potassium butyrate in pig production. This study included three experiments:Experiment1:The effects of different levels of potassium butyrate on growth performance, diarrhea ratio and nutrient digestibility in weaned piglets were studied.240crossed piglets (Duroc×Yorkshire×Landrace) were randomly divided into4treatments with6pens per treatment and20piglets per pen based on body weight when weaned at24d of age. Piglets in group I were fed basal diet; piglets in group Ⅱ, Ⅲ and IV were fed diets containing0.05%,0.10%and0.15%potassium butyrate. Experimental diets were fed in2phases:phase1(24to45d of age) and phase2(46to66d of age). The results showed that: compared with control group, the groups which added potassium butyrate had no significant difference in growth performance, diarrhea ratio and nutrient digestibility in phase1(P>0.05); but compared with other groups,0.05%potassium butyrate could significantly increase average daily gain and average daily feed intake and significantly decrease diarrhea ratio in later period weaned piglets (P<0.05), significantly increase average daily gain in whole period weaned piglets (P<0.05), significantly increase the body weight in weaned piglets of66d of age; compared with control group,0.05%and0.10%potassium butyrate had significantly increased digestibility of CP、EE、DM、CA、Ca and P in later period weaned piglets (P<0.05).Experiment2:The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of different levels of potassium butyrate on serum biochemical parameters and correlated hormone in weaned piglets. Experimental design as experiment1. The results showed that:compared with control group, potassium butyrate had no significant influence on blood ester content in the first phase (P>0.05), but supplementation of0.05%and0.10%potassium butyrate had significantly increased total triglyceride content in anaphase (P<0.05). Compared with control group,0.05%potassium butyrate could significantly decrease globulin and significantly increase albumin to globulin ratio,0.05%potassium butyrate could decrease serum urea nitrogen but there was no significant difference (P>0.05). There were no significant difference of serum glucose levels in different groups in phase1(P>0.05), but in anaphase, serum glucose levels in control and0.05%potassium butyrate groups were significantly higher than0.10%and0.15%potassium butyrate groups (P<0.05). Different levels of potassium butyrate had no significant influence on transaminase activity in different groups and different phases (P>0.05), except AST activity in0.05%potassium butyrate group in phase1was significant higher than the control group (P<0.05). Compared with control group,0.05%potassium butyrate had increased serum growth hormone content significantly (.P<0.05),0.05%and0.10%potassium butyrate had decreased serum insulin content significantly (P<0.05).Experiment3:This experiment was based on the results of last two experiments, to study the change of intestinal morphology when piglets were fed diet containing0.05%potassium butyrate.120crossed piglets (Duroc×Yorkshire×Landrace) were randomly divided into2treatments with6pens per treatment and20piglets per pen based on body weight when weaned at24d of age. Piglets in one treatment were fed basal diet, in another treatment were fed basal diet containing0.05%potassium butyrate, this experiment lasting21days. The results showed that:potassium butyrate could increase the length of intestinal villus, decrease the depth of crept, increase the ratio of villus length to crept depth(P<0.05). Compared with control group, the length of intestinal villus and the ratio of villus length to crept depth in jejunum and ileum were significantly increased. Intestinal villus in potassium butyrate group arranged more tidily, epithelial shattering were rare than the control group, the structure was more complete.In conclusion, the optimal supplemental amount of potassium butyrate is0.05%in this experimental condition, it can increase feed intake, average daily gain, nutrient digestibility and decrease diarrhea ratio, improve production performance in weaned piglets, improve correlated biochemical parameters and hormone in weaned piglets, promote anabolism, ameliorate intestinal morphology, promote the digesting and absorbing and gut barrier of weaned piglets.