Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (3): 1290-1301.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.03.028

• Animal Nutrition and Feeds • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Tannic Acid on Muscle Morphology, Flavor Amino Acids, and Expression of Muscle Fiber-related Genes in Immunostressed Weaned Piglets

ZHOU Wentao1,2(), WANG Chenyu1,2, ZHOU Hui1,2, LIU Hongbiao3, FENG Shuhuan1, FAN Gaosheng1, LI Tiejun2,*(), HE Liuqin1,2,*()   

  1. 1. Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Human Health, Hunan International Joint Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Ecology and Health, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Intestinal Function and Regulation, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
    2. Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology and Metabolic Process, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
    3. Zhangjiajie Jiurui Biology & Chemistry Co., Ltd, Zhangjiajie 427099, China
  • Received:2024-06-12 Online:2025-03-23 Published:2025-04-02
  • Contact: LI Tiejun, HE Liuqin E-mail:zhouwent213@163.com;tjli@isa.ac.cn;heliuqin@hunnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the impact of tannic acid (TA) supplementation in low protein diets on blood biochemical parameters, muscle morphology and structure, flavor amino acids, and factors associated with myofibril development in weaned piglets experiencing immune stress induced by Escherichia coli (ETEC). Twenty-one healthy weaned piglets (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire), weighing approximately 6.75±0.07 kg, were selected and randomly allocated into three groups: basal diet group (CON group), basal diet+ETEC group (EK group) and basal diet+0.05% TA+ETEC group (MTA group). Each group consisted of seven replications, with one pig per replication. Weaned piglets in the EK and MTA groups were orally administered 20 mL of LB medium containing an ETEC concentration of 1×1012 CFU·mL-1 on days 29 and 31 of the experiment, while the CON group received the same volume of inactivated LB medium. On day 32, blood samples and longissimus dorsi were collected for assay analysis. The results were showed as follows: 1) The various treatments did not yield any statistically significant impact on the quantity and proportion of whole blood cells in weaned piglets (P>0.05). 2) Among the serum biochemical parameters, ETEC treatment significantly decreased the serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level and increased the total bile acid level, whereas TA treatment reversed these indices, and creatinine levels were significantly lower in the MTA group compared to both other groups. 3) ETEC treatment may induce alterations in the morphology and structure of the longissimus dorsi, particularly leading to a reduction in both average diameter and area of muscle fibers. However, supplementation of TA to a low protein diet effectively preserves the integrity of its morphology and structure. 4) The relative mRNA expression levels of MyoD and MSTN in the longissimus dorsi were significantly reduced in both the CON and MTA groups compared to the EK group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the relative mRNA expression level of MyoG was significantly higher in the EK group than in the CON group (P < 0.05), while there was a significant decrease in MyHC Ⅱ b mRNA abundance observed in the MTA group compared to both the CON and EK groups (P < 0.05). 5) The ETEC treatment significantly decreased the levels of lysine, leucine, methionine, essential amino acids, sweet amino acids, and total amino acids in longissimus dorsi (P < 0.05). However, feeding TA diets partially restored the content of the amino acids mentioned above. In conclusion, the inclusion of 0.05% TA in low-protein diets can enhance muscle development in immunostressed weaned piglets by preserving muscle morphology and structure integrity, as well as modulating the expression of myofiber-related genes and flavor amino acid content.

Key words: tannic acid, weaned piglets, stress injury, muscle fibers, flavor amino acids

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