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Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) is a legume mainly cultured in the Middle East and in Asia. Fractions of fenugreek have different therapeutic properties, for instance antidiabetic, cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The seed is interesting as a dietary ingredient due to some remarkable bioactive properties. Fenugreek seeds contain 32% insoluble and 13.3% soluble fibre, and have high concentrations of galactose and mannose. The seed might be interesting due to its potential impact on the intestinal microbiota and its immune-modulating effects. The present study hypothesised that these properties might affect the digestive physiology of piglets after weaning. For this, a feeding trial with 21 male castrated piglets was performed over 28 d without or with the addition of 1.5g fenugreek seeds/kg complete diet, in ten and eleven piglets, weaned at 21 d. In the intestinal tract, pH, lactate and SCFA were measured as major bacterial metabolites. Immune cell phenotypes, phagocytic activity and lymphocyte proliferation after stimulation with pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A and phytohaemagglutinin M were measured by flow cytometry.
Health status and performance of the piglets were not affected by fenugreek. The pH in the caecum and colon were reduced compared with the control (P<0.05). Higher concentrations of L-lactic acid were recorded in the small-intestinal digesta (average concentrations from the duodenum, jejunum and ileum; P<0.05), while the concentrations of SCFA remained unchanged except an increase in n-butyric acid in colon contents (P<0.05). The piglets fed the fenugreek diet had higher Lactobacillus and Clostridium cluster I concentrations and lower Escherichia, Hafnia and Shigella concentrations in the small intestine. The addition of fenugreek increased the relative concentration of the γδ T-cell population (TCR1+CD8α-) in the blood with a simultaneous reduction of antigen-presenting cells (MHCII+CD5-) (P<0.05). Proliferation rate and phagocytosis activity of monocytes were not affected by the additive.
In conclusion, fenugreek seeds might be interesting as a feed ingredient for young piglets due to their effects on the intestinal microbiota and immunological variables.
J Zentek, S Gärtner, L Tedin, K Männer, A Mader and W Vahjen (2013). Fenugreek seed affects intestinal microbiota and immunological variables in piglets after weaning. British Journal of Nutrition 109, 859–866. doi:10.1017/S000711451200219X