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Chitosan is an oligosaccharide normally derived from the shells of crustaceans. Moreover, it has been found to possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immunostimulant potential. However, the effect of chitosan in sow and litter performance is largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) supplementation on sow and litter performance and immune response. For that purpose, a total of 40 multiparous sows (3 to 5 parity; Landrace × Yorkshire) were selected and randomly allotted to two dietary treatments (n = 20 sows/treatment) with consideration to their parity, weight, and nutritional status. In sows, dietary treatments consisted of a control diet (sCON) and a diet containing 30 mg/kg COS (sCOS), fed from day 86 of gestation until weaning at day 20 of lactation. Their offspring, Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire piglets were assigned at 7 days of age within sow treatments and fed either a control diet (pCON) or a diet containing 30 mg/kg COS (pCOS) for 28 days. Therefore, the four piglet treatments (n = 10 per treatment) were: sCON-pCON, sCON-pCOS, sCOS-pCON, and sCOS-pCOS.
As a result, sow dietary chitosan supplementation did not significantly change the number of piglets born, piglet birth and weaning BW, piglet ADG before and after weaning, piglet ADFI or feed-to-gain ratio after weaning. However, dietary chitosan increased piglet BW at weaning and on day 35 of age, and ADG during lactation when fed to the piglets. Concerning immune response, sow diet COS increased immunoglobulin (Ig) M content in the colostrum and in the umbilical cord blood. Sow diet COS also increased the contents of IgG and interleukin (IL) 10, and tended to increase IgA, IgM and lysozyme concentrations in serum of piglets at weaning. However, any immune-related indexes were found to be significantly altered due to piglet dietary COS supplementation.
It is concluded that the addition of chitosan in sows’ diets improves the newborn piglet passive-immunity and the piglets’ humoral and innate immunity at weaning, whereas the addition of chitosan in the piglets’ feed increased their growth performance during the sucking period.
Duan X, Tian G, Chen D, Yang J, Zhang L, Li B, Huang L, Zhang D, Zheng P, Mao X, Yu J, He J, Huang Z, Yu J. Effects of diet chitosan oligosaccharide on performance and immune response of sows and their offspring. Livestock Science. 2020; 104114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2020.104114
