Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions Decrease Diarrhea Rate by Relieving Colonic Inflammation and Ameliorating...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Microbiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Diarrhea is a primary cause of mortality in piglets, impacting animal health and agricultural productivity.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers potential therapeutic strategies for intestinal diseases, including diarrhea and inflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of XiaoJianZhong (XJZ) and Jingsananli-sepsis (JSS) TCM prescriptions in mitigating diarrhea, enhancing growth, and improving gut health in piglets.
• To investigate the impact of XJZ and JSS on colonic inflammation and caecum microbiota composition in a piglet model.

Main Methods:

• Eighteen piglets were randomly assigned to three groups: control (basal diet), TCM1 (XJZ in basal diet), and TCM2 (JSS in basal diet).
• Parameters assessed included diarrhea rate, growth performance (average daily gain, feed:gain ratio), colonic/caecal pH, nutrient digestibility, colonic inflammatory markers (cytokine mRNA expression, TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway), and caecum microbiota composition.

Main Results:

• Both XJZ and JSS groups exhibited reduced diarrhea rates, improved apparent nutrient digestibility, and altered colonic/caecal pH compared to the control.
• TCM interventions significantly alleviated colonic inflammation by downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and suppressing the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.
• Caecum microbiota composition was ameliorated, with increased beneficial bacteria abundance, and significant improvements in average daily gain and feed:gain ratio were observed in both TCM groups.

Conclusions:

• XiaoJianZhong (XJZ) and Jingsananli-sepsis (JSS) are effective TCM prescriptions for reducing piglet diarrhea and enhancing growth performance.
• These TCMs improve gut health by reducing colonic inflammation and modulating caecum microbiota composition, offering a promising approach for swine health management.