ORIGINAL PAPER
Dietary supplementation with Aloe vera polysaccharide enhances the growth performance and immune function of weaned piglets
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1
Tianjin Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, XiQing District Jinjing Road 17 km, Tianjin, 300384, P.R. China
2
China Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, P.R. China
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National Feed Engineering Technology Research Center Beijing, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, P.R. China
Publication date: 2013-10-07
Corresponding author
J. Qiao
Tianjin Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, XiQing District Jinjing Road 17 km, Tianjin, 300384, P.R. China; China Agricultural University, National Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, P.R. China
W. Wang
Tianjin Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, XiQing District Jinjing Road 17 km, Tianjin, 300384, P.R. China
J. Anim. Feed Sci. 2013;22(4):329-334
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of crude Aloe
vera polysaccharide (AVP) on the growth performance and immune function
of weaned piglets. A total of 200 (Landrace Yorkshire × Duroc) weaned pigs at
21 d with initial 8.88 ± 0.49 kg body weight (BW) were allotted to one of four
dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design according to their
sex and BW (5 replicates with 10 pigs per pen, 5 gilts and 5 barrows). Dietary
treatments included one basal diet, and three diets with AVP supplementation
(0.05%, 0.1%, or 0.2%). Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake
(ADFI), and feed:gain (F:G) ratios were calculated at the end of the experiment.
Separated serum samples from each treatment were assayed at the end of the
experiment for the concentrations of cytokines and the blocking rate of antibodies
against classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Supplementation of AVP at
0.1% improved (P < 0.05) ADG compared with the control group. No significant
differences in ADFI or F:G were observed between AVP-treated and untreated
control piglets. All AVP-treated pigs had a significantly lower incidence of
diarrhoea (P < 0.05) when compared with control pigs. Feeding AVP resulted
in increasing (P < 0.01) IL-2 and IFN-γ (at 0.1% and 0.2%) and IL-4 (at 0.05%,
0.1% and 0.2%), and in no significant changing of IL-10 (P > 0.05). Supplementation
of AVP at 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2% increased (P < 0.01) the blocking rate of
antibodies against CSFV. These results indicate that dietary supplementation
with dietary AVP enhanced growth performance in weaned piglets by improving
immune function, decreasing the incidence of diarrhoea.
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