Recently, researchers of the Animal Nutrition and Regulation Science and Technology Innovation Team of Institute of Animal Science of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IAS-CAAS) have revealed the molecular mechanism of xylo-oligosaccharide enhancing intestinal barrier function and modulating intestinal immunity of weaned piglets, which provides a theoretical basis for improving the disease resistance of weaned piglets and promoting efficient and healthy breeding of pigs. This study is published in the journal of Carbohydrate Polymers.

With the trend of banning antibiotics, the weak immunity and diarrhea attack of weaned piglets are serious problems in pig production, causing huge economic losses to the industry every year. Therefore, it is one of the most vital research topics to improve the intestinal barrier and immunity of weaned piglets. The researcher team previously summarized the potential effects of xylo-oligosaccharide on the improvement of immune function in piglets and demonstrated that xylo-oligosaccharide enhances the intestinal health of weaned piglets by improving the intestinal barrier and regulating intestinal immunity, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive.

In this study, researchers confirmed the positive effects of dietary xylo-oligosaccharide enhancing gut barrier in weaned pigs via suppressing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Meanwhile, xylo-oligosaccharide increased beneficial microbes (such as Lactobacillus) and decreased potential pathogenic bacteria. The xylo-oligosaccharide augmented microbiota-derived metabolites (mainly butyrate, propionate, and secondary bile acid) to strengthen the gut barrier and regulate gut immunity through activating host G-protein coupled receptors 109a or inhibiting histone deacetylases. Furthermore, xylo-oligosaccharide attenuated IgA-production and antigen cross-presentation processes. In addition, xylo-oligosaccharide supplementation led to the alteration of cell proliferation, remodeling of the energy metabolism, activation processes of serial genes or proteins, increased molecular chaperones, and the enhanced ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in cecal cells. This work reveals the underlying mechanism of xylo-oligosaccharide enhancing the intestinal health of weaned piglets and provides a novel insight to improve the immunity of weaned piglets to boost pig production.

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of China. Shanlong Tang, Yuxia Chen, and Fuli Deng are the co-first authors of the paper, and Professor Liang Chen and Professor Hongfu Zhang are the co-corresponding authors.

The article link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119776