Effects Of Chinese Herbal Medicine Preparations On Growth Performance,Intestinal Flora,and Immune Function Of Xiang Pigs

Chinese herbal medicine preparation is a green and healthy antibiotic replacement product with great potential.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Chinese herbal preparation(Astragalus mongholicus,Hawthorn,Licorice and Pulsatilla chinensis)on growth performance,intestinal flora and immune function of Congjiang Xiang pigs.A total of 100 8-month-old Congjiang Xiang pigs were selected and randomly divided into control and Chinese herbal medicine preparation group,with 5 replicates in each group and 10 pigs in each replicate.The control group was fed with basic diet(20 % Canna edulis green feed +80 % compound feed),and the Chinese herbal preparation group was fed with 0.08 %Chinese herbal medicine preparation + basic diet(20 % Canna edulis green feed + 80 %compound feed).The pre-feeding period of 3 days and the trial period of 50 days.At the end of the feeding trial,one pig was selected from each replicate for slaughter and sampling.The biochemical indexes and antioxidant indexes of Xiang pig were measured by microplate reader.The intestinal flora of Xiang pig was measured by microbial 16 S r DNA sequencing.The contents of immunoglobulin and cytokines in Xiang pig were measured by ELISA.The m RNA transcription level of immune-related cytokines in Xiang pig tissues was measured by q-PCR.The main results are as follows:(1)Effects of Chinese herbal medicine preparation on growth performance of Xiang pigCompared with the control group,the average daily gain(ADG)of Xiang pigs in the Chinese herbal medicine preparation group was significantly increased by 13.04 %(P < 0.01).The feed conversion ratio(FCR)significantly decreased by 15.47%(P <0.01).(2)Effects of Chinese herbal medicine preparation on biochemical indexes and antioxidant indexes of Xiang pigCompared with the control group,the content of serum albumin(ALB)in the Chinese herbal medicine preparation group was significantly increased(P < 0.01).The content of malondialdehyde(MDA)in the jejunum showed a downward trend(0.05 <P < 0.1).There were no significant differences in other biochemical indexes and antioxidant indexes between the groups(P > 0.05).(3)Effect of Chinese herbal medicine preparation on intestinal flora of Xiang pigCompared with the control group,the Chao1 index and ACE index of jejunum flora in the Chinese herbal preparation group showed an upward trend(0.05 < P < 0.1),the Alpha diversity index of cecum and colon flora had no significant difference(P >0.05),and the Beta diversity of jejunum,cecum and colon flora had no significant difference(P > 0.05).At the phylum level,the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota in the cecum of pigs in the Chinese herbal medicine preparation group increased significantly(P < 0.05),while the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria decreased significantly(P < 0.05).At the genus level,the relative abundance of Coriobacteriales Unclassified in the cecum of Chinese herbal medicine preparation group was significantly increased(P < 0.05),the relative abundance of Lactobacillus showed an upward trend(0.05 < P < 0.1),and the Erysipelotrichaceae uncultured was relatively the abundance showed a downward trend(0.05 < P < 0.1).The relative abundance of Oscillospiraceae uncultured,Family XIII AD3011 group and NK4A214 group in the colon significantly decreased(P < 0.05).(4)Effect of Chinese herbal medicine preparation on immune function of Xiang pigCompared with the control group,the serum Ig G content of Xiang pigs in the Chinese herbal preparation group showed an upward trend(0.05 < P < 0.1).The IL-4content in the spleen significantly decreased(P < 0.05),the IL-10 m RNA transcription level significantly increased(P < 0.05),and the IL-4 m RNA transcription level showed an upward trend(0.05 < P < 0.1).In jejunum,the contents of IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly decreased(P < 0.05),the content of IL-2 showed a downward trend(0.05< P < 0.1),and the transcription levels of IL-2 and IL-4 m RNA showed an upward trend(0.05 < P < 0.1).The content of IFN-γ in Colon showed an upward trend(0.05< P < 0.1).The above results showed that the Chinese herbal medicine preparation added in this study could increase the ADG of Xiang pigs and reduce the FCR,increase the relative abundance of intestinal beneficial bacteria and reduce the relative abundance of intestinal potential pathogenic bacteria,change the content and transcription level of cytokines in spleen,jejunum and colon tissues,so as to promote the growth performance of Xiang pigs,improve the structure of intestinal flora and regulate immune function.