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Effects of star anise (llicium verum) on growing performance and antioxidant status of sows and nursing piglets
To investigate the effects of star anise (llicium verum) that was processed to particle sizes of 300 μm on performance and antioxidant status of sows and nursing piglets. Thirty sows (Landrace× Large White) at 85 day of gestation were randomly allocated into 5 treatments with 6 replicates in a complete randomized design. Pregnant sows were fed corn-soybean meal based diets and supplemented with 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 g/kg diet of star anise (SA) powder respectively. After farrowing, all sows were fed a lactation diet without star anise until weaning and litter size was standardized to 10 piglets by cross-fostering within 24 h postfarrowing. ADFI, body weight loss of lactating sows, body weight and eliminating ratio of piglets of each replicate were measured weekly. Blood samples from 6 sows and 12 piglets per treatment were obtained at weaning to determine the serum antioxidant enzymatic activities. All treatments had similar body weight loss of sows, birth weight, body weight at d 7 and mortality rates of piglets. However, pregnant sows supplemented with 5 g/kg SA had higher (P < 0.05) average daily gain and body weight of piglets at d 14 and d 21 as compared with that of control. With pregnant sows supplemented SA at the level of 2.5-10 g/kg, lactating sows had higher (P < 0.05) activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) than the control. In lactation period, concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was lower (P < 0.05) with dietary supplementation star anise from late pregnancy to the end of breastfeeding at the level of 5.0 g/kg. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and total antioxidant capacity (T-SOD) in serum of lactating sows were increased by the addition SA at levels of 5.0 and 7.5 g/kg. As compared with that of control, all additions of star anise had lower (P < 0.05) MDA, however, piglets had higher (P < 0.05) activities of SOD, T-SOD and GSHPx in serum with pregnant sows supplemented SA at the level of 2.5-10 g/kg. Dietary supplementation star anise from late pregnancy to the end of breastfeeding improved growing of piglets and serum antioxidant status of lactating sows and weaning piglets. The optimum supplementation rate of SA in the pregnant sow’s diet appeared to be between 2.5 and 5 g/kg diet.
Keywords: star anise, sow, piglets, growing performance, antioxidant status