Low-Protein Diet Supplemented with Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Glycerides Improves the Growth Performance and Intestinal Function in Post-Weaning Piglets

Abstract

Medium-chain fatty acid glycerides have been shown to provide energy for rapid oxidation in the body. The study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with medium-chain fatty acid glyceride on the growth performance and intestinal health of weaned piglets fed with a low-protein diet. Nighty healthy weaned piglets were randomly divided into five treatments: NP (Normal protein treatment, normal-protein diet no antibiotics included); NC (Negative control, low-protein diet no antibiotics included); PC (Positive control, low-protein diet +75 mg/kg quinocetone, 20 mg/kg virginiamycin and 50 mg/kg aureomycin); MCT (tricaprylin + tricaprin treatment, low-protein diet + tricaprylin + tricaprin); GML (glycerol monolaurate treatment, low-protein diet + glycerol monolaurate). The results showed that the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of the MCT treatment was significantly higher than that of the NP, NC treatments (p < 0.05). In the jejunum, the villus height of the GML treatment was significantly lower than that of the PC treatment (p < 0.05), and the number of goblet cells in the GML treatment was higher than that in the NC treatment (p < 0.05). Compared with the NC treatment, the MCT treatment significantly increased the level of claudin-1, Zonula occludens-1(ZO-1), while the GML treatment significantly increased the level of claudin-1, occludin, ZO-1 (p < 0.05). In the ileum, the level of ZO-1 in the GML treatment was significantly higher than that in the NP, NC, PC treatments (p < 0.05). Compared with the NC treatment, the GML treatment significantly increased the level of Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in the ileum and serum, while the MCT treatment significantly increased the level of SIgA and decreased the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the ileum (p < 0.05). These results showed that the addition of medium-chain fatty acid glycerides to a low-protein diet could improve the growth performance and intestinal functional barrier of weaned piglets and also improve the immune function of weaned piglets.