Nutritional evaluation of Zanthoxylum bungeanum leaves and their effects on reproductive performance, milk composition, antioxidant status, and gut microbiota in sows

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to investigate the digestible energy of Zanthoxylum bungeanum leaves (ZBL) and effects on sow reproductive performance. Methods:In Exp 1, a total of 24 sows (parity 3) on d 60 of gestation were used in a 10-d total fecal collection study to determine the digestible energy of ZBL.Exp 1 comprised two dietary treatments: the basal diet and the 10% ZBL diet.In Exp 2, a total of 60 sows (parity 3) on d 30 of gestation were used in a performance study which lasted until d 28 of post-farrowing when the piglets were weaned, from which all data except backfat thickness (collected from all 60 sows) were derived from 48 sows.Exp 2 comprised two dietary treatments: the basal diet (CON group) and the 4% ZBL diet (ZBL group).The lactation period was twenty-eight days.Microbial samples collected on farrowing day. Results:The digestible energy of ZBL was determined to be 13.77MJ/kg.Dietary supplementation with 4% ZBL had no effect on litter size, number of live-born piglets, number of healthy piglets, litter weight at birth, or individual birth weight in sows.The concentration of fat in milk was higher in the ZBL group than in the CON group (p<0.05).On lactation day serum blood urea nitrogen was elevated on lactation day in the ZBL group (p<0.05), and glucose concentration was higher on weaning day in the ZBL group than in the CON group (p<0.05).Total antioxidant capacity increased on lactation day (p<0.05)and weaning day (p<0.05),while malondialdehyde decreased (p<0.05) on lactation day in the ZBL group than in the CON group.At the genus level, 4% ZBL elevated (p<0.05) the relative abundances of Escherichia-Shigella, Cellulosilyticum, norank_f_Erysipelotrichaceae, Fecalibacterium, Adlercreutzia and Akkermansia, and reduced (p<0.05)those of Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 and Bacteroides.