PSIV-30 Effects of dietary supplementation with ground red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) on growth performance, blood profile, and ileal histomorphology in weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli K88+

Abstract

Red-osier dogwood (ROD) has high contents of phenolic compounds with profound antioxidant activity. Considering that piglets undergo oxidative stress at weaning, which negatively affect growth performance and gut integrity, ROD supplementation in a weaner diet would improve overall piglet performance. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of ground ROD on growth performance, blood profile, and gut morphology in weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli K88⁺. Twenty-eight piglets weaned at 21 d of age (6.94 ± 0.28 kg of body weight) were assigned to one of five dietary treatments: 1) CON (a corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet), 2) AGP (CON + 0.025% antimicrobial growth promotor), 3) ROD2 (CON + 2% ROD), and 4) ROD4 (CON + 4% ROD). On d 8, all pigs were orally inoculated with E. coliK88⁺ (2 × 10⁹ CFU/mL). Blood samples were collected at 6 and 24 h after challenge for plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), plasma glucose, and serum haptoglobin determination. On d 13, all pigs were euthanized to obtain ileal tissue samples for histomorphology. The pre-planned orthogonal test was performed to compare 1) CON vs. AGP and 2) CON vs. ROD2 + ROD4. Dietary treatments did not affect growth performance and concentrations of PUN and plasma glucose across treatments. The inclusion of ROD in nursey pig diet reduced (P < 0.05) the crypt depth and tended to increase (P ≤ 0.10) the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the ileum. The AGP supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) haptoglobin concentrations in serum at 24 h post-challenge but did not affect histomorphology. In conclusion, ROD inclusion in a weaner diet will be beneficial by improving histomorphology in weaned pigs infected with E. coli K88⁺.