Table 6.

Jejunal morphology and crypt cell proliferation of nursery pigs fed diets with varying levels of zinc glycinate (ZnGly) and zinc oxide (ZnO) under F18⁺E. coli challenge¹

Item	NC2	PC	ZnGly 400 mg/kg				ZnGly 800 mg/kg	ZnGly 1,200 mg/kg	ZnO 2,500 mg/kg	SEM	P-value
			ZnO 0 mg/kg	ZnO 700 mg/kg	ZnO 1,400 mg/kg	ZnO 2,357 mg/kg					NC vs. PC3	PC vs. ZnO 2,500 mg/kg	ZnO Linear4	ZnO Quad.4	ZnGly Linear5	ZnGly Quad.5	Zn Source6	PC vs. Zn source7
Jejunum
Villus height, μm	516	465	438	504	461	515	494	475	485	30	0.148	0.554	0.092	0.849	0.438	0.869	0.179	0.899
Crypt depth, μm	265	285	245	290	256	285	274	270	265	11	0.123	0.124	0.041	0.475	0.731	0.049	0.114	0.010
VH:CD	2.00	1.70	1.88	1.78	1.86	1.85	1.84	1.80	1.87	0.11	0.046	0.239	0.990	0.711	0.599	0.284	0.942	0.177
Crypt cell proliferation, %	19.1	27.5	25.7	25.6	26.0	26.3	26.5	27.2	26.8	2.3	<0.001	0.727	0.541	0.747	0.912	0.603	0.350	0.358

¹Data represent the least square means of eight replications except for three treatments: 1) one pig in NC group, 2) one pig in the group fed ZnO at 2,500 mg/kg, and 3) one pig in the group fed ZnGly at 400 mg/kg and ZnO at 700 mg/kg. Pigs had to be removed due to severe BW loss following the IACUC guideline after the statistical confirmation as outliers.

²No challenge.

³F18⁺E. coli challenge on day 7 after weaning.

⁴Dose response effects of ZnO supplementation (ZnO at 0, 700, 1,400, and 2,357 mg/kg) with ZnGly at 400 mg/kg.

⁵Dose response effects of ZnGly supplementation [ZnGly at 0 (PC), 400, 800, and 1,200 mg/kg].

⁶ZnGly at 400 mg/kg vs. ZnO at 2,500 mg/kg.

⁷PC vs. ZnGly at 400 mg/kg + ZnO at 2,500 mg/kg.