Astragalus Polysaccharides Synergize Sulfated Epimedium Polysaccharides To Enhance Piglet Immunity

In pig industry,it has been a hot spot to focus on traditional Chinese medicine and its extract to improve the immunity and reduce the rate of diarrhea of piglets.In this paper,based on the preliminary work,the compatibility of astragalus polysaccharides(APS)and sulfated epimedium polysaccharides(s EPS)to enhance the immunity of piglets was studied taking newborn piglets as the research objects.The effects of APS-s EPS on the immune function of peripheral blood and intestinal mucosa of piglets and gene expression of related factors were determined by animal experiments.The main findings are as follows: Results of Test One showed that APS-s EPS could significantly improve the physiological parameters of piglets' blood,especially at 25 d,the number of white blood cells,red blood cells,hemoglobin and platelets were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).The highest T lymphocyte proliferation was found in APS-s EPS group at 15 d and 25d(P<0.05),and the percentage of CD3 + CD4 + and CD3 + CD8 + cells in APS-s EPS group was also increased(P>0.05).APS-s EPS significantly increased the serum concentrations of IFN-?,IL-4,IL-10 and s Ig A in piglets(P<0.05).Results of Test Two showed that APS-s EPS could obviously improve the intestinal morphology of piglets,especially in the jejunum and ileum,the length of villi got longer,and remarkably in the ileum,the length of villi in APS-s EPS group was significantly longer than that in other groups(P<0.05).In jejunum and ileum segment,the crypt depth in APS-s EPS group was significantly shorter than that in control group and s EPS group(P<0.05).Also,the V/C value of APS-s EPS group was significantly higher than that of the control group in jejunum and ileum segments(P<0.05).In mesenteric lymph nodes,the proportion of CD3+CD4+ T cells in APS-s EPS group decreased,while the proportion of CD3+CD8+ T cells was the largest(P>0.05).In duodenum,the contents of Ig G and s Ig A in the APS-s EPS group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05);In jejunum,the contents of IL-4,IL-10,Ig G and s Ig A in APS-s EPS group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05);In ileum,the contents of IL-2,IL-4,IL-10,Ig G and s Ig A in APS-s EPS group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05),and the contents of IL-2,Ig G and s Ig A were significantly higher than those in the APS group and the s EPS group(P<0.05).Results of Test Three showed that the expression levels of TLR4 and NF-?B m RNA in APS-s EPS group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05),and the expression levels of TLR4,NF-? B and IRF-3m RNA in the ileum and ileum were significantly higher than those in control group(P<0.05);Especially in ileum,the expression levels of NF-?B and IRF-3 m RNA in the APS-s EPS group were significantly higher than those in the APS group and the s EPS group(P<0.05).The results of this paper indicated that APS-s EPS could enhance the immune function of peripheral blood lymphocytes and the expression of certain antibodies in piglets,and also improve the morphology of the small intestine and the activity of the intestinal humoral immune response.It might be related to the activation of TLR4/ NF-? B signaling pathway and IRF3 function.From the above,APS-s EPS could significantly improve the immune function of newborn piglets through blood and intestines.