Effects of Dietary Intake of Heat-Inactivated
Limosilactobacillus reuteri
PSC102 on the Growth Performance, Immune Response, and Gut
Microbiota in Weaned Piglets
Hae-Yeon Cho1, Ga-Yeong Lee1, Md. Sekendar Ali1,2*
and Seung-Chun Park1,3*
1Laboratory
of Veterinary Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, Institute for
Veterinary Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine,
Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea; 2Department
of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National
University, Daegu 41944, South Korea; 3Cardiovascular
Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566,
South Korea
*Corresponding author:
parksch@knu.ac.kr;alipharm2000@gmail.com
Abstract
This study aimed to
investigate whether dietary supplementation with heat-inactivated
Limosilactobacillus reuteri PSC102
(LR) enhances immunological responses and growth performance in weaned pigs.
Twenty-five weaned piglets were randomly allocated to five groups. Each
treatment group had separate pens with five pigs each. The pigs were fed a diet
supplemented with heat-inactivated LR at a concentration of 1×109
CFU/g for 28 days. Throughout the study period, regular measurements, including
body weight, food consumption rate, and diarrhoeal frequency, were conducted. At
the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected to assess cytokine and
haptoglobin levels. Faecal samples, rectal swabs, and nasal swabs were collected
for analysis of pathogenic bacterial growth using selective media. Additionally,
faecal samples were analysed to determine the composition of the microbiota.
Heat-inactivated LR enhances growth rate and feed efficiency while decreasing
diarrheal frequency in weaned piglets. Compared to pigs fed a control diet,
diets containing heat-inactivated LR exhibited increased serum levels of
cytokines and decreased haptoglobin levels, demonstrating a beneficial effect on
the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Heat-inactivated LR diets alter the
microbiota of piglets by enhancing alpha diversity and increasing the
composition of beneficial bacteria. Overall, dietary heat-inactivated LR
enhanced growth rates, regulated immunological responses in weaned pigs, and
reduced post-weaning diarrhoea. Therefore, this suggests its potential as a
health functional ingredient for humans and animals.
To Cite This Article:
ChoHY, LeeGY, AliMS and ParkSC, 2024. Effects of dietary intake of
heat-inactivated Limosilactobacillus
reuteri PSC102 on the growth performance, immune response, and gut
microbiota in weaned piglets. Pak Vet J, 44(3): 819-825.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.224