Beta-1,3-glucan effect on sow antibody production and passive immunisation of progeny

Euglena gracilis β-Glucans (1,3): Enriching Colostrum of Sow for Enhanced Piglet Immunity

The effects of supplementing the diet of sows with βG-(1,3) derived from Euglena gracilis algae were assessed regarding quality and amount of colostrum as well as performance of piglets. A total of 120 sows (first (nulliparous) to sixth parity (multiparous)) from D85 of gestation until weaning were divided into two groups: the control diet group (n = 60) and the βG-(1,3) diet group (n = 60). Sows receiving βG-(1,3) exhibited an average increase of 870 g (24.9%) in colostrum production, leading to a 25.17% higher intake of colostrum by piglets. Furthermore, piglets in the βG-(1,3) group showed significantly superior weight gain of 34 g (50%) compared to the control group 18 h after birth (p < 0.05). Sows fed with βG-(1,3) produced colostrum with significantly higher concentrations of IgG (5.914 mg/mL, 16.16%) and IgM (0.378 mg/mL, 16.29%) than the control group (p < 0.05). Similarly, serum concentrations of IgG (13.86 mg/mL, 51.25%), IgA (17.16 mg/mL, 120.19%), and IgM (13.23 mg/mL, 144.78%) were significantly higher in sows fed with βG-(1,3) than in the control group (p < 0.05). Supplementing sows with βG-(1,3) derived from the Euglena gracilis algae resulted in increased colostrum production and consumption, along with greater weight gain in piglets during the first 18 h after birth. Additionally, both the colostrum produced by the sows and the blood serum of the piglets exhibited higher concentrations of immunoglobulins.

Effect of Supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and β-glucans to Mares During Late Gestation on Colostrum Quality and Passive Transfer of Immunity in Foals

The objective of this study was to determine whether supplementation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or β-glucan, in the maternal diet during late pregnancy affects the concentration of total IgG in the colostrum of mares and influences the concentration of IgG in its foals. A total of 21 pregnant mares were used, aged 6±2 years, 3±1 pregnancies, 450±50kg in weight, and they were distributed into three groups: the control group (n=7); the S. cerevisiae group (n=7), which received 10¹⁰CFU of S. cerevisiae orally; and the β-glucan group (n=7), which received 0.35g of β-glucan orally. All groups started from the 300th day of their pregnancies until delivery. Samples of colostrum and serum from the mares were collected immediately after delivery. Blood samples from their foals were collected 12h after birth. The IgG measurement was performed using radial immunodiffusion. The results underwent a variance analysis. Higher concentrations of IgG were observed in the colostrum of mares that were supplemented with β-glucans (74.14±15.25 g/L) when compared to the control group (53.80g±10.95g/L). Serum IgG concentrations of foals born to mares supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (11.57±5.05 g/L) showed a significant difference, with a higher concentration of IgG in the serum compared to the control group. Therefore, this study provides evidence that manipulation of the mares' diets in late gestation to add β-glucan increased the IgG concentration in their colostrum. The addition of S. cerevisiae appears to improve the concentration of IgG in their foals within 12h after birth.

Effect of maternal seaweed extract supplementation on suckling piglet growth, humoral immunity, selected microflora, and immune response after an ex vivo lipopolysaccharide challenge

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of maternal dietary supplementation (n = 10 sows/treatment) with seaweed extract (SWE: 0 vs. 10.0 g/d) from d 107 of gestation until weaning (d 26) on neonatal piglet growth, humoral immunity, intestinal morphology, selected intestinal microflora, and VFA concentrations. Furthermore, this study examined the effect of dietary treatment on the immune response after an ex vivo Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) tissue challenge at weaning in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The main factors consisted of sow dietary treatment (SWE or control) and immunological challenge (yes or no). The SWE supplement (10.0 g/d) contained laminarin (1.0 g), fucoidan (0.8 g), and ash (8.2 g) and was extracted from a Laminaria spp. The SWE-supplemented sows had greater colostrum IgA (P < 0.01) and had a trend for greater IgG (P = 0.062) concentrations compared with non-SWE-supplemented sows. Piglets suckling SWE-supplemented sows had greater serum IgG (P < 0.05) concentrations on d 14 of lactation compared with those suckling non-SWE-supplemented sows. Dietary SWE supplementation decreased fecal Enterobacteriaceae populations in sows at parturition (P < 0.05), and piglets suckling SWE-supplemented sows had a decreased colonic E. coli population at weaning (P < 0.01) compared with non-SWE-supplemented sows. Lipopolysaccharide challenge increased the mRNA abundances of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1α and IL-6 (P < 0.01) in ileal tissue and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in colonic (P < 0.01) tissue. There was a treatment × LPS challenge interaction for ileal TNF-α mRNA expression (P < 0.05). Piglets suckling SWE-supplemented sows had greater TNF-α mRNA expression after ex vivo LPS challenge compared with non-SWE-supplemented sows (P < 0.05). However, there was no effect of sow dietary treatment on TNF-α mRNA expression in the unchallenged ileal tissue. Piglet BW at birth and weaning, and small intestinal morphology were unaffected by sow dietary treatment under current experimental conditions. In summary, these results demonstrate an important immunomodulatory role of SWE supplementation characterized by enhanced colostral IgA and IgG concentrations, greater piglet circulatory IgG concentrations on d 14 of lactation, and enhanced TNF-α mRNA expression in the ileum after an ex vivo LPS challenge. These results indicate that SWE supplementation enhanced piglet immune function and colonic microflora at weaning.