Effects of dietary xylo-oligosaccharide on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, antioxidant function, and immunological function of nursery piglets

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of dietary xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, antioxidant function, and immunological function of nursery piglets. In total, three groups including 72 nursery piglets were designed and fed one of three diets: a control basal diet, basal diet supplemented with 0.2% ZnO, or basal diet supplemented with 0.04% XOS, for 28 days. Compared with the control group, the XOS group significantly increased the final body weight and average daily weight gain. No significant differences were found about these parameters between the control and ZnO groups. Compared with the control group, the ZnO group showed no changes in the serum content of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), albumin:globulin (ALB:GLB), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol (TC), or in the serum activity of amylase and alkaline phosphatase. However, in the XOS group, serum glucose content increased and blood urea nitrogen and triglyceride content decreased significantly. Compared with the control group, dietary supplementation with XOS significantly increased the serum activity of total antioxygenic capacity, superoxide dismutase, and catalase and decreased the serum activity of malondialdehyde. At the same time, serum IgG content in XOS group was significantly higher than that in control group. From the current study, supplementation of 0.04% XOS in the diet could improve the antioxidant and immune function of piglets, promotes nitrogen deposition, and accelerates lipid and glucose metabolism, thereby improving piglet growth performance.