| With the development of intensive pig production,many large-scale pig farms are facing the problem of low estrus rate and high elimination rate of gilts.Chinese herbal medicine has received more and more attention as a green additive based on Chinese medicine theory.However,at present,there are fewer studies on the use of Chinese herbs in the production of reserve sows.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance,estrus rate,and intestinal microorganisms of gilts,and to explore the mechanism of their interaction with intestinal microorganisms,so as to provide a basis for the application of Chinese herbal medicines in pig production.In the first experiment,the gilts were used as a model to evaluate the effects of compound Chinese herbal medicine on the growth performance,estrus rate,serum progesterone content,apparent digestibility,serum biochemical indices and free amino acid.Sixty 185-day-old gilts were randomly divided into two groups:basal diet group,herbal group(basal diet with addition of 0.1%compound Chinese herbal medicine),and the experimental period lasted for 40 days.All pigs were pre-fed for 5 days and fed with basic diets.Body weight,backfat thickness and estrus was recorded throughout the experiment period.Blood samples were collected from each pig on 36th day to detect serum biochemical indicators,progesterone content and free amino acids content;fecal samples were collected on the 33th to 35th day for nutrient apparent digestibility determination.The results showed that the Chinese herbal medicine had no effect on the daily weight gain and backfat thickness of the gilts(P>0.05);compared with the control group,Chinese herbal medicine significantly increased the estrus rate of the gilts(P<0.05),but there was no effect on the serum progesterone content(P>0.05);Chinese herbal medicine significantly increased the apparent digestibility of ether extract,ash,crude protein and gross energy of the gilts(P<0.05);it significantly increased the glucose content in the serum(P<0.05);it also significantly increased the content of lysine,methionine and glycine in the free amino acids of the serum of the gilts(P<0.05).In summary,Chinese herbal medicine has significantly improved the estrus rate of gilts,and significantly increased their apparent digestibility of gross energy,crude protein,ether extract,and crude ash,as well as blood glucose and lysine,methionine,and glycine contents in the serum,effectively promotes the digestion and absorption of nutrients,and have a good improvement in the growth and reproduction performance of the gilts.In the second experiment,the study aimed to study the effects of compound Chinese herbal medicine on the development of sexual organs,follicles,and uterus in gilts.Based on the previous animal experiment,on the 40th day of the experiment,3 estrus gilts were selected in compound Chinese herbal medicine(HE),and 3 estrus gilts and 3 non-estrus gilts were selected for slaughter sampling in the control group(CE and CN).The uterus,ovary,uterine horn and other parts of the slaughtered individual were taken for apparent and histological analysis.The results showed that the relative weight of uterus,ovary and uterine horn of estrous gilts(HE and CE)was significantly higher than that of non-estrous individuals(CN,P<0.05),and the relative ovary weight of individuals in HE group was significantly higher than that of individuals in CE group(P<0.05);the number of large follicles of gilts in CE group was significantly higher than that of the individuals in HE group and the individuals in CN group(P<0.05);the number of corpus luteum and corpus albicans of individuals in HE group was higher than that of individuals in CN group(P<0.1).There was no significant difference in the proportion of the original follicles,primary follicles,secondary follicles,cavity follicles and corpus luteum in the three groups of individuals of HE,CE,and CN(P>0.05).Besides,the uterine gland abundance and endometrial thickness of estrous individuals(HE and CE)were significantly higher than those of non-estrous individuals(CN,P<0.05);the vascular abundance of the individuals in the CE group and the thickness of the muscle layer of the individuals in HE group were significantly higher than those of the individuals in CN group(P<0.05);however,there was no significant difference between HE group and CE group(P>0.05).In summary,the sexual organs of estrous individuals and non-estrous individuals have significant differences in relative weight,number of large follicles,corpus luteum,and morphology of the uterine horn wall.However,the estrous individuals in the compound Chinese herbal medicine group and the control group have no significant differences except for the relative weight of the ovaries and the number of large follicles,which shows that the effect of Chinese herbal medicine on sexual organs is not obvious in individuals who are already in estrus,but it may have an improvement effects on individuals who have not developed estrus due to poor sexual organ development.In the third experiment,the study aimed to evaluate the effects of compound Chinese herbal medicine on microbial community of gilts and its correlation with differential indicators,and explore the interaction between Chinese herbal medicine and intestinal flora of gilts.This study is based on the previous animal experiments.On the 35th day of the experiment,fresh feces from each gilt were collected.After the collection of estrus data,5 estrus gilts and 5 non-estrus gilts were selected from each group,and fecal samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology.The results showed that the clusters of the relative abundance of the microbiome in the Chinese herbal medicine group(H)and the control group(C)cannot be clearly distinguished,but the distribution of non-estrous individuals in the Chinese herbal medicine group(HN)was particularly concentrated and can be distinguished from other groups,especially the non-estrous individuals in the control group(CN).It had no significant effect on the OTU number,ACE index,Chao index and Shannon index(P>0.05),but it had an increasing trend on Simpson index(P=0.098).Chinese herbal medicine significantly increased the relative abundance of the flora such as Coprococcus 2,Ruminococcus,Bacteroides,and Prevotellaceae UCG-004(P<0.05),significantly reduced the relative abundance of Prevotella 2 and[Eubaclerium]ruminantium group(P<0.05).The correlation results showed that the relative abundance of Coprococcus 2,Ruminococcus,Bacteroides,and Prevotellaceae UCG-004 significantly positively correlated with apparent digestibility of ether extract,ash,crude protein and gross energy,serum blood glucose,lysine,methionine and glycine content(P<0.05),but the relative abundance of Prevotella 2 and[Eubacterium]ruminantium group significantly negatively correlated with crude protein and apparent fat digestibility and blood glucose,methionine and glycine content(P<0.05).The metabolic function prediction results showed that the relative abundance of genes related to the indole alkaloid biosynthesis pathway and biosynthesis of type Ⅱ polyketide backbone pathway in the Chinese herbal medicine group were significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).In conclusion,supplementation of compound Chinese herbal medicine preparations can regulate the intestinal flora structure and metabolism to generate active substances that are beneficial to the health of the gilts,thereby promoting their digestion and absorption of nutrients. |
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