Beneficial Function Of Lactobacillus Plantarum ZJ316on Piglets

Lactobacillus plantarum is a plant-associated Lactobacilli but has also been found in human, mouse and porcine gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It is able to ferment a broad spectrum of plant carbohydrate, tolerant against bile salts and low pH and has antagonistic potential against potential intestinal pathogens.In this study, the effects of L. plantarum ZJ316isolated from infant fecal samples on piglets growth performance and pork quality were investigated. One hundred fifty just weaned piglets (28day older) were selected randomly and separated into five groups. Control was fed the diet with the antibiotic mequindox added; groups Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ were fed a diet with the antibiotic removed, but with L. plantarum added; and group Ⅳ was fed a mixture of mequindox and L. plantarum. Sixty days later of initiation treatment (days95), samples and data were collected for evaluating their effects.The results showed that, compared with antibiotic-treated piglets, the diarrhea and mortality ratios significant decreased, and the daily weight gain and gain rate increased in Lactobacillus-treated piglets. Moreover, the pork quality was improved when treated with Lactobacillus. Drip loss (48h), hardness, chewiness, gumminess and restoring force were significantly improved in Lactobacillus-treated piglets. Although we found that L. plantarum exerted probiotic effects on piglet growth performance and pork quality, the mechanism(s) of action needs further study.Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) results showed that the gut bacterial communities in Lactobacillus-and antibiotic-treated piglets were very similar. DGGE-band sequencing showed that L. plantarum ZJ316was not colonized in piglet gut. However, the concentration of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) was increased in Lactobacillus-treated fecal samples and the villus height was significantly improved by Lactobacillus treatment. Therefore, we speculated that the probiotic mechanism of L. plantarum ZJ316may not be through L., plantarum colonization and alteration of the gut bacterial community. Rather, it might be related to inhibition of the growth of opportunistic pathogens and promotion of the secretion of SCFA by its metabolites, subsequently increasing villus height, and finally promoting piglet growth perfomance and improvement in pork quality.