The supplementation with 1-3 beta-glucan to sows improves piglet's performance and ensures a good immune status of the sow.

Beta-glucan supplementation has been shown to have important immunomodulatory effects on both sows and pigs; however, there are discrepancies about the effect over piglets due to maternal supplementation. This study monitored the effect of 1-3 beta-glucans supplementation (from Euglena gracilis) in sows from the final third of gestation until the end of lactation by the health status (specifically, the immune and stress status) of the sows and their offspring using salivary biomarkers and piglet's growth performance. A total of 106 sows were randomly assigned to the basal diet (BD) or to the basal diet with 1-3 beta-glucans supplementation (GD) group at 1 g/sow per day. To evaluate the litter performance, the BW of all piglets was measured at birth and weaning and sow's performance data were recorded. Saliva samples were collected from a subset of sows, 35 from the BD group and 36 from the GD group, at different times during the trial: 21 and 7 days before the expected farrowing date (D-21 and D-7), the day after farrowing (D0), and at 7 (D7) and 21 days (D21) of lactation. Saliva was also collected from the heaviest and lightest piglets of each of the 71 litters the week before weaning. The health status of the sow and piglets was evaluated by the immune marker's interleukin 6, adenosine deaminase, calgranulin C, the acute phase proteins C-reactive protein, haptoglobin and immunoglobulin G; the stress marker's cortisol and α-amylase, and the oxidant status marker's total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status and the calculation of the oxidative stress index. Piglets from sows fed GD showed higher BWs than those fed BD, both at birth and at weaning, with overall slightly lower levels of immune markers. All sows showed an increase in immune and oxidant markers at farrowing (D0) in comparison to previous times, with higher effects in the group of sows from the GD. Maternal supplementation with 1-3 beta-glucans showed improved immune activation in sows that could be properly evaluated using saliva biomarkers and an increase in piglet's BW at both birth and weaning.