Dietary supplementation of plant essential oil improves growth performance, intestinal morphology and health in weaned pigs

Abstract The present study was conducted to explore the effect of plant essential oil (PEO) on growth performance, intestinal morphology and health in weaned pigs. Twenty‐four weaned pigs were assigned into four groups fed with a basal diet (CON) or basal diet containing PEO at a concentration of 50 (PEO50), 100 (PEO100) or 200 ppm (PEO200). After 21 days, pigs were slaughtered and blood and tissue samples were collected. Result showed that PEO200 group significantly increased the average daily gain (ADG) compared with CON group ( p < .05). Moreover, PEO supplementation significantly improved the digestibility of DM ( p < .05). However, it significantly decreased the serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentration ( p < .05). Interestingly, PEO supplementation significantly increased the activity of sucrase in the duodenal and the activity of lactase in the jejunal mucosa ( p < .05). Moreover, PEO supplementation improved the growth of intestinal mucosa. As compared to the CON group, the jejunum and ileum villus height were significantly elevated in the PEO200 group ( p < .05). Importantly, the expression levels of critical genes associated with nutrient transportation (i.e., GLUT2 and SGLT1) and barrier function (occludin) were significantly elevated in the PEO200 group ( p < .05). Moreover, the PEO100 and PEO200 group had higher propionic acid concentration and higher total bacterial gene copies in colon digesta than the CON group ( p < .05) respectively. These results not only suggest that PEO has a positive role in the regulation of growth and intestinal health in weaned pigs, but also offer a potential candidate substituting the conventionally used antibiotics in the livestock industry.