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Inadequate sow milk production directly constrains the optimal growth of neonatal piglets since lactating nutrient intake becomes a critical factor in piglet performance. It was reported that Silymarin supplementation (extracted from milk thistle fruit) in mammals increases milk yield. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the influences of varying doses of micelle silymarin (0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2%) supplementation on sows' feed intake, milk yields, serum hormones, and litter growth using 40 multiparous sows from the 109th prenatal day to the 21st postnatal day. Each treatment included 10 sows and each sow was used as an experimental unit.
On weaning day, litter weight and litter weight gain were linearly improved, corresponding to the increasing dose of silymarin micelle in the diet. Feed intake in week 1, week 2, and the entire lactation period was increased as micelle silymarin dose increased. Body weight (BW) loss of sows during lactation was linearly reduced with the increasing amounts of micelle silymarin. Average daily milk yields during lactation were also linearly increased in treated sows, exceeding that of control sows. Also, uniform increases were observed in fat content in milk produced by treated sows on day 14 of lactation. Epinephrine concentrations and aspartate aminotransferase activity in sow serum on day 21 postpartum were linearly declined as micelle silymarin dose increased and were both declined in treated sows compared with the control. In addition, treated sows' serum had higher activity of superoxide dismutase at parturition and glutathione peroxidase, lower oxidized glutathione (GSSG) concentrations, and GSSG/GSH (glutathione) ratio on day 21 of lactation. Moreover, offspring from micelle silymarin-treated sows tended to have higher serum catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity concentrations.
Taken together, the results showed that sows fed increasing levels of micelle silymarin from the 109th prenatal day to the 21st postnatal day had an incremental dose-dependent effect on higher feed intake, diminished BW loss, greater milk yields, and greater litter weight at weaning, and 0.2% of micelle silymarin could be optimal to achieve the better effect.
Zhang Q, Ahn JM, Kim IH. Micelle silymarin supplementation to sows’ diet from day 109 of gestation to entire lactation period enhances reproductive performance and affects serum hormones and metabolites. Journal of Animal Science. 2021; 99(12): skab354. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab354