1Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture & Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu, Yangzhou, 225009, China
College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory for Animal Genetics, Breeding, Reproduction and Molecular Design of Jiangsu Province Yangzhou University, Jiangsu, Yangzhou, China
* Corresponding Author: wbbao@yzu.edu.cn
Online published on 30 June, 2020.
The study was conducted with the objective to evaluate the effect of bamboo vinegar powder (BV) on growth performance and expression of growth-related genes in finishing pigs. Ninety pigs (140-d-old, 80.88±0.82 kg) were randomly allocated to five groups and were fed on a basal diet alone (CON; served as a control), or supplemented with either antibiotics (AB) or BV at 0.5 (BV-0.5), 1.0 (BV-1.0) and 1.5 (BV-1.5) per cent levels. Relative growth parameters and nutrient apparent digestibility were measured. Expression of IGF-1, GHR, and LEP in muscle, liver, and adipose tissues were quantified by RT-q PCR. Addition of 1.0% BV significantly (P<0.05) increased ADG and reduced FCR of finishing pigs than CON. Additionally, the CP digestibility in BV-1.0 and BV-0.5 notably improved (P<0.05) than those in other groups. The pigs showed significantly (P<0.05) elevated levels of IGF-1 and GHR mRNA expression in liver in BV-1.0 and BV-1.5 than that in other groups. The IGF-1 also showed significant higher (P<0.05) expression in adipose tissues in BV-1.0 and BV-1.5 when compared to other groups. The expression of LEP increased significantly (P<0.05) in muscle and liver tissues in BV-1.0 than that in other groups. Overall, it is concluded that BV can be supplemented at 1.0% level to promote growth and development in finishing pigs.
Antibiotic alternative, Gene expression, Growth performance, Pig, Tissues
