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. 2021 Mar 25;7(2):282–294. doi: 10.1016/j.aninu.2021.01.001

Table 2.

Examples of trials regarding the effect of prebiotics on pig.

Age of pig Breeds of pig Prebiotics Main outcome Reference
2 to 14 d Offspring of Topigs sows FOS Piglets supplemented with FOS had numerically greater villi and deeper crypts, modulates the bacterial colonization of the gut and the intestinal development Schokker et al. (2018)
21 to 42 d Offspring of Large White crossbred sows RPS RPS intake increases the content of anaerobic bacteria in feces, and the concentration of butyrate in the intestine, and increases the content of regulatory T cells in the cecum Trachsel et al. (2019)
4 months Large White male growing pigs TGS TGS down-regulated the caecal expression of zonula occludens-1 and mucin 2 and of genes within the toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor κB pro-inflammatory signaling cascade Metzler-Zebeli et al. (2018)
23 ± 2 d Duroc × Landrace Large × White barrow YG YG group up-regulated the expression of occludin m-RNA in the duodenum and jejunum mucosa, increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, and decreased the acetate content Qin et al. (2019)
From d 86 of gestation to d 20 of postpartum (sows); 7 to 35 d (piglets) Landrace × Yorkshire sows and their offspring (Duroc × Landrace Yorkshire) MOS sow diet MOS decreased proinflammatory cytokines IL-2 and IL-4 concentrations in piglet serum, Piglets diet MOS decreased the contents of IL-2, IL-4 and interferon γ while increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 content in serum Duan et al. (2019)
21 to 35 d Huanjiang mini-piglets SBOS SBOS supplementation increased elevated the numbers of beneficial intestinal bacteria, also increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in the intestinal lumen, and it reduced the numbers of bacteria with pathogenic potential (e.g., E. coli, Clostridium, and Streptococcus) Zhou et al. (2014)
28 d Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire piglets AMSLF AMSLF supplementation significantly decreased diarrheal incidence in piglets, 7.50% AMSLF group having higher IL-2 and TNF-α levels than the other treatment groups Che et al. (2019)
First week after birth Duroc × Landrace × Large White piglets GOS On d 8 and 21 after GOS intervention, ileal microbiota composition was significantly enriched in Lactobacillus and unclassified Lactobacillaceae, and the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and antibacterial peptides increased Tian et al. (2019)
Approximately 8 weeks Yorkshire-Landrace pigs Inulin Inulin supplementation up-regulated Th2-related immune genes (IL-13, IL-5), and suppressed Th1-related pro-inflammatory genes (interferon γ, IL-1A, IL-8) in the colon Myhill et al. (2018)

FOS = fructooligosaccharides; RPS = resistant potato starch; TGS = transglycosylated starch; YG = yeast glycoprotein; MOS = mannan oligosaccharide; SBOS = soybean oligosaccharides; AMSLF = Astragalus membranaceus fiber; GOS = galacto-oligosaccharide.