Replacing dietary sodium selenite with biogenic selenium nanoparticles improves the growth performance and gut health of early-weaned piglets

Lei Qiao; Xina Dou; Xiaofan Song; Jiajing Chang; Xiaonan Zeng; Lixu Zhu; Hongbo Yi; Chunlan Xu

doi:10.1016/j.aninu.2023.08.003

Replacing dietary sodium selenite with biogenic selenium nanoparticles improves the growth performance and gut health of early-weaned piglets

Anim Nutr. 2023 Aug 22:15:99-113. doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2023.08.003. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Lei Qiao¹, Xina Dou¹, Xiaofan Song¹, Jiajing Chang¹, Xiaonan Zeng¹, Lixu Zhu¹, Hongbo Yi², Chunlan Xu¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710072, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China.

Abstract

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are proposed as a safer and more effective selenium delivery system than sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃). Here, we investigated the effects of replacing dietary Na₂SeO₃ with SeNPs synthesized by Lactobacillus casei ATCC 393 on the growth performance and gut health of early-weaned piglets. Seventy-two piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Large Yorkshire) weaned at 21 d of age were divided into the control group (basal diet containing 0.3 mg Se/kg from Na₂SeO₃) and SeNPs group (basal diet containing 0.3 mg Se/kg from SeNPs) during a 14-d feeding period. The results revealed that SeNPs supplementation increased the average daily gain (P = 0.022) and average daily feed intake (P = 0.033), reduced (P = 0.056) the diarrhea incidence, and improved (P = 0.013) the feed conversion ratio compared with Na₂SeO₃. Additionally, SeNPs increased jejunal microvilli height (P = 0.006) and alleviated the intestinal barrier dysfunction by upregulating (P < 0.05) the expression levels of mucin 2 and tight junction proteins, increasing (P < 0.05) Se availability, and maintaining mitochondrial structure and function, thereby improving antioxidant capacity and immunity. Furthermore, metabolomics showed that SeNPs can regulate lipid metabolism and participate in the synthesis, secretion and action of parathyroid hormone, proximal tubule bicarbonate reclamation and tricarboxylic acid cycle. Moreover, SeNPs increased (P < 0.05) the abundance of Holdemanella and the levels of acetate and propionate. Correlation analysis suggested that Holdemanella was closely associated with the regulatory effects of SeNPs on early-weaned piglets through participating in lipid metabolism. Overall, replacing dietary Na₂SeO₃ with biogenic SeNPs could be a potential nutritional intervention strategy to prevent early-weaning syndrome in piglets.

Keywords: Early-weaned piglet; Gut homeostasis; Gut microbiota; Metabolites; Selenium nanoparticle.