Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the main causes of diarrhea in weaned piglets, and ornithine α-ketoglutarate (OKG) as a food supplement has been shown to improve intestinal immune status in animals and humans. However, it remains unknown whether OKG alleviates inflammation through the regulation of gut microbiota and its metabolites on ETEC-infected piglets. This study was conducted to explore the impact of OKG on growth performance, immunity, and ileal mucosa microbiota and its metabolites in piglets infected with ETEC. On a total of 40 pigs, a 2 × 2 factor design was performed; the major factors were diet (basal diet or 1% OKG diet) and challenge (E. coli or LB Broth). The results showed that ETEC-infection inhibited growth performance, and OKG supplementation alleviated growth performance. Interestingly, ETEC-infection increased the serum TNF-α and IL-6, decreased the serum IL-10, downregulated the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, MyD88, and improved the mRNA expression of IL-8, IL-18, and TLR4. OKG inhibited serum IL-6, suppressed the phosphorylation of downstream signals of NF-κB/JNK in the ileum, and enhanced serum IL-10 and ileum SIgA in ETEC-challenged piglets. OKG supplementation enhanced the mRNA expression of IL-1β and IL-10 and reduced NF-κB and MyD88 in the ileum. Importantly, OKG reversed intestinal microbiota dysfunction, including the diversity of ileal microbiota, the relative abundances of Actinobacillus, Turicibacter, and [Acetivibrio]_ethanolgignens_group, which significantly affected arachidonic acid metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis. Collectively, our results suggest that OKG improves growth performance, regulates immunity, and ileal mucosa microbiota and its metabolites in ETEC-infected piglets.