Mannan oligosaccharide supplementation in diets of sow and (or) their offspring improved immunity and regulated intestinal bacteria in piglet1.

The objectives of the current study were to explore the effects of mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) supplementation in the diets of sow and (or) their offspring on intestinal bacteria, intestinal and systemic inflammation in the piglet. A total of 60 multiparous sows (4 ± 1 parity; Landrace × Yorkshire) were fed either control diet (sCON, n = 30) or a diet containing 400 mg kg-1 MOS (sMOS, n = 30) from day 86 of gestation until weaning (day 20 of postpartum). On day 7 of age, offspring (Duroc × Landrace Yorkshire) were assigned within sow treatments and fed control diet (pCON) or diet containing 800 mg kg-1 MOS (pMOS) for 28 d (end at 35 d of age), resulting in four piglet diet groups (n = 15 litters per diet group): sCON-pCON, sCON-pMOS, sMOS-pCON, and sMOS-pMOS. Results found that piglet diet MOS increased or tend to increase Lactobacillus amount in the ileum digesta (P < 0.01) and jejunum digesta (P = 0.07), respectively; while tend to decrease Escherichia coli amount in jejunum digesta (P =0.06) and cecum digesta (P = 0.08). Both sow and piglet diets add MOS (sMOS-pMOS) increased Lactobacillus amount but decreased E. coli amount in jejunum digesta (P < 0.05) compared with the sCON-pCON diet group. In addition, sow diet MOS (rather than piglet diet MOS) increased sIgA content in piglet jejunum mucosa compared with control (P = 0.04). Sow diet MOS decreased toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and interleukin 8 (IL-8) mRNA levels (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) mRNA level (P = 0.07) in piglet intestinal lymphatic. The interaction effects between sow and piglet diets were found on the mRNA levels of NF- κB p65 (P = 0.03) and IL-8 (P = 0.02) in piglet jejunum. Finally, the sow diet MOS decreased proinflammatory cytokines IL-2 (P < 0.01) and IL-4 (P < 0.01) concentrations in piglet serum. Piglets diet MOS decreased the contents of IL-2 (P = 0.03), IL-4 (P = 0.01) and interferon (IFN)-γ (P < 0.01) while increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (P < 0.01) content in serum. The interaction effects between sows and piglet diets on IL-4 (P = 0.02), IL-10 (P < 0.01), and IFN-γ (P = 0.08) were observed. In conclusion, sow and/or piglet diet MOS could improve intestinal microbiota, enhance intestinal mucosal immune competence, and suppress intestinal and systemic inflammation in the piglet.