Effects of dietary supplementation with an expressed fusion peptide bovine lactoferricin-lactoferrampin on performance, immune function and intestinal mucosal morphology in piglets weaned at age 21 d.
Lactoferrin has antimicrobial activity associated with peptide fragments lactoferricin (LFC) and lactoferrampin (LFA) released on digestion. These two fragments have been expressed in Photorhabdus luminescens as a fusion peptide linked to protein cipB. The construct cipB-LFC-LFA was tested as an alternative to antimicrobial growth promoters in pig production. Sixty piglets with an average live body weight of 5.42 (sem 0.59) kg were challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and randomly assigned to four treatment groups fed a maize-soyabean meal diet containing either no addition (C), cipB at 100 mg/kg (C+B), cipB-LFC-LFA at 100 mg/kg (C+L) or colistin sulfate at 100 mg/kg (C+CS) for 3 weeks. Compared with C, dietary supplementation with C+L for 3 weeks increased daily weight gain by 21 %, increased recovery from diarrhoea, enhanced serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx), peroxidase (POD) and total antioxidant content (T-AOC), liver GPx, POD, superoxide dismutase and T-AOC, Fe, total Fe-binding capacity, IgA, IgG and IgM levels (P < 0.05), decreased the concentration of E. coli in the ileum, caecum and colon (P < 0.05), increased the concentration of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the ileum, caecum and colon (P < 0.05), and promoted development of the villus-crypt architecture of the small intestine. Growth performance was similar between C+L- and C+CS-supplemented pigs. The present results indicate that LFC-LFA is an effective alternative to the feed antibiotic CS for enhancing growth performance in piglets weaned at age 21 d.
Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Health and Key Laboratory of Subtropical Agro-Ecology, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410125, China.
Zhiru
Z
Tang
Yulong
Y
Yin
Youming
Y
Zhang
Ruilin
R
Huang
Zhihong
Z
Sun
Tiejun
T
Li
Wuying
W
Chu
Xiangfeng
X
Kong
Lili
L
Li
Meimei
M
Geng
Qiang
Q
Tu
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D002417:Cattle; D003091:Colistin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D054307:Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D011897:Random Allocation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014886:Weaning
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C110968:CipB protein, Photorhabdus luminescens; D007782:Lactoglobulins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C502040:lactoferrampin; C082171:lactoferricin B; D007781:Lactoferrin; D003091:Colistin