Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of varying blend ratios of dietary α-glycerol monolaurate (GML) and glyceryl tributyrate (TB) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immune function in weaned piglets. METHODS: A total of 120 weaned piglets (Duroc×[Landrace×Yorkshire], initial body weight 6.87±0.15 kg, 28 days old) were assigned randomly to three treatments with five replicate pens per treatment for the 28-day experiment. The treatments consisted of a basal diet supplemented with 0.1% GML/TB blend at the following ratios: 1) higher GML (HM; GML/TB = 7:3); 2) balanced ratio (BR; GML/TB = 1:1); 3) lower GML (LM; GML/TB = 3:7). RESULTS: Dietary BR supplementation increased apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein and gross energy (GE, p<0.05) on day 14 and ATTD of GE on day 28 compared with other groups. Compared with the LM group, piglets fed the BR diet had higher (p<0.05) concentration of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and interleukin (IL)-1β and lower (p<0.05) levels of diamine oxidase on day 14 had higher (p<0.05) concentration of IL-1β and lower (p<0.05) concentration of IL-6 on day 28 in serum. Dietary BR supplementation increased (p<0.05) the ALT content, decreased (p<0.05) the IL-6 content on day 14 and aspartate aminotransferase and IL-1β contents on day 28, decreased (p<0.05) the IL-10 contents on day 28 in serum compared with the HM group. Furthermore, dietary BR supplementation increased (p<0.05) the activities of glutathione peroxidase in the duodenum, total antioxidant capacity in the jejunum, and catalase in the ileum. Compared with the LM group, piglets fed another two diets had lower (p<0.05) level of malondialdehyde in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, dietary supplementation with a 0.1% GML/TB blend (1:1) improves nutrient digestibility, enhances intestinal antioxidant capacity, modulates inflammatory responses, and supports overall health in weaned piglets.