Effects of Copper-Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles on Intestinal Microflora and Morphology in Weaned Piglets

• Published in: Biological trace element research Vol. 149; no. 2; pp. 184 - 189
• Main Authors: Wang, Min-Qi, Du, Yong-Jie, Wang, Chao, Tao, Wen-Jing, He, Yu-Dan, Li, Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01.11.2012; Humana Press Inc; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; average daily gain; Bacteria; Bifidobacterium; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; body weight; Carbohydrates; cecum; chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; chlortetracycline; Copper; Copper - pharmacology; diarrhea; Dietary supplements; Digestive system; duodenum; Duroc; Escherichia coli; feed intake; Female; growth performance; Hogs; ileum; intestinal microorganisms; Intestines - drug effects; Intestines - microbiology; jejunum; Lactobacillus; landraces; Life Sciences; Male; mucosa; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nutrition; Oncology; piglets; Swine; Weaning; Copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles; Intestinal microflora; Weaned piglets; Intestinal morphology
• ISSN: 0163-4984; 1559-0720
• DOI: 10.1007/s12011-012-9410-0

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CNP-Cu) on growth performance, intestinal microflora, and morphology in weaned piglets. A number of 90 weaned piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), weaned at 21 days with body weight of 7.2 ± 0.81 kg, were randomly divided into three groups by weight and sex, each treatment including three replicates of ten pigs. The piglets were fed the same basal diet supplemented with 0 (the control group), 100 mg/kg CNP-Cu, and 100 mg/kg chlortetracycline (the positive group). The results showed that 100 mg/kg CNP-Cu significantly increased average daily gain and feed intake and decreased feed/gain ratio and diarrhea rate (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the amount of Escherichia coli in duodenum, jejunal, and caecum were significantly decreased by 100 mg/kg CNP-Cu; the number of lactobacillus in jejunal and caecum were increased (P < 0.05), and the amount of bifidobacterium in duodenum and caecum were also increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, the villous height of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum mucosa was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the crypt depth was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The results indicated that CNP-Cu is beneficial to growth and intestinal microflora and morphology and could be a potential substitution of chlortetracycline in diets of weaned piglets.