Hi, my name is Carly Rundle. I'm a second year Master’s student with Dr. Hans Stein, and today I
will be talking about the effects of Sangrovit Extra on apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids,
crude protein, acid hydrolyzed ether extract, and starch by weanling pigs fed corn-soybean meal
diets.

I would like to begin with a brief overview of the issues surrounding weaning and an introduction to
isoquinoline alkaloids, followed by a description of the materials and methods. Then I will go over
the results from the experiment and conclude with a few take-home messages. 

Weaning exposes the piglet to an abrupt change in social interactions including separation from the
sow and mixing of litters. Nutritionally, piglets are switched from sow milk to less palatable
high-protein high-carbohydrate plant-based feeds with anti-nutritional factors. Additionally,
there's a potential exposure to new diseases and the need for adaptation to new environmental
conditions. This post-weaning stress results in many changes in the gastrointestinal health of the
piglet including an increase in the gastric pH, villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia in the small
intestine, and decreased absorptive capacity in the large intestine. This change in morphology
results in a decreased ability to defend against pathogens and to digest and absorb essential
nutrients. This reduced immunity can result in post-weaning diarrhea and decreased performance,
including a decrease in feed intake and daily gain and an increase in mortality and morbidity during
the nursery period. 

Producers use antibiotic growth promoters to minimize the effects of post-weaning stress. However,
antibiotic resistance concerns have been rising in humans and livestock due to the sub-therapeutic
dosage. In 2006 the European Union implemented a full ban on in-feed antibiotic usage in livestock,
and in 2013 the United States issued guidance to phase out the use of medically important
antibiotics in livestock for production purposes. Some alternatives include minerals such as zinc
oxide and copper sulfate, probiotics and prebiotics, plant extracts, and acidifiers. For the purpose
of this presentation, we will talk about one specific plant extract.

Sangrovit extra is a plant extract derived from Macleaya cordata, commonly known as the plume poppy.
The primary active components in this plant are classified as isoquinoline alkaloids, which include
sanguinarine, chelerythrine, protopine, and allocryptopine. Alkaloids in general are defined as
nitrogenous organic compounds in plants that have pronounced physiological effects.

Isoquinoline alkaloids have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antimicrobial physiological
effects. This includes a reduction in neutrophil viability; an increase in the expression of tight
junction proteins including ZO-1 and claudin-1; an inhibition of NF-κB activation, which leads to a
reduction in cytokine expression; and an inhibition of cell division in gram-negative and
gram-positive bacteria–all of which could potentially lead to a reduction of post-weaning diarrhea
and improved gut function.

When used as a feed additive in livestock feeds, isoquinoline alkaloids increased serum amino acid
levels in swine–specifically lysine and tryptophan–and increase the total tract digestibility of
nitrogen in diets fed to steers. In growth performance trials, isoquinoline alkaloid supplementation
increased average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain to feed ratio in swine and
poultry. However, there is minimal information on the effects of IQ on the digestibility of specific
nutrients in swine.

Therefore, the objective of the experiment is to test the hypothesis that isoquinoline alkaloid
supplementation in corn-soybean meal diets increases the apparent ileal digestibility of amino
acids, crude protein, acid hydrolyzed ether extract, and starch when fed to weanling pigs.

Now I will move on to a brief overview of the materials and methods.

Using a randomized complete block design, there were four treatments and eight barrows per
treatment.

Four experimental diets were formulated with corn, soybean meal, soybean oil, lactose, and fish meal
as the primary components. All diets were formulated to contain the same metabolizable energy and
standardized ileal digestible lysine. The control diet contained no IQ and subsequent diets were
formulated to contain 90, 180, and 360 mg/kg IQ at the expense of corn.

We used 32 ileal cannulated barrows with an average initial body weight of 12.19 kilograms. 

Ileal digesta were collected by attaching a bag to the outer portion of the t-cannula (shown on the
left) that was surgically inserted into the distal ileum (shown on the right) for 8 hours each
collection day. Pigs were fed ad libitum for a 12-day adaptation period followed by a two-day
collection. These same pigs then remained on the same diet for an additional 12 days followed by
another two-day collection.

Contrast statements were used with coefficients for unequally spaced treatments in order to
determine the linear and quadratic effects of IQ on the apparent ileal digestibility of crude
protein, amino acids, acid hydrolyzed ether extract, and starch within each collection period.
Results obtained from collection period 1 were also compared with results from collection period 2
using repeated measures analysis.

Now let's move into the results.

I would like to begin by setting up the slide. On the x-axis we have the inclusion of Sangrovit
Extra, or IQ, in mg/kg. And on the y-axis we have the apparent ileal digestibility of starch. period
1 digestibility is represented by the orange bars, and period 2 digestibility is represented by the
blue bars. As we can see, there is a quadratic effect on the apparent ileal digestibility of starch
in period 1, with the highest digestibility seen in the 90 mg/kg treatment. Additionally, there was
a tendency towards a quadratic increase in the digestibility of starch in period 2, with these
values being significantly lower than in period 1. At this time, no published research exists to
explain this finding.

There were no linear or quadratic effects of IQ on the apparent ileal digestibility of crude
protein. However, digestibility of crude protein was higher in period 2 than in period 1. As the
apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein is also higher in the control diet, this study was not
able to distinguish whether this increase was a result of prolonged IQ inclusion or simply due to a
natural increase in digestibility as pigs mature.

When examining the effects of IQ inclusion on the apparent ileal digestibility of all indispensable
amino acids, we can see that there was a quadratic increase with the highest value again observed in
the 90 mg/kg treatment. As with crude protein digestibility, the apparent ileal digestibility of
indispensable amino acids was higher in period 2 than in period 1. Again, we are unable to determine
to what extent IQ inclusion plays a role in this increase.

Now, looking at the apparent ileal digestibility of dispensable amino acids, we can see that there
were no linear or quadratic effects. However, the digestibility was higher in period 2 than in
period 1, as seen previously.

Specifically in period 1, we observed a quadratic effect on the apparent ileal digestibility of
threonine, tryptophan, and valine with the greatest increase in digestibility in the 90 mg/kg
treatment. There was also a tendency for a quadratic increase in the digestibility of methionine;
however, this result did not reach significance.

Although we did examine the effects of IQ on the apparent ileal digestibility of acid hydrolyzed
ether extract, those results were not significant.

To conclude, the inclusion of isoquinoline alkaloids led to an increase in the AID of specific
indispensable amino acids and an increase in the AID of starch. We also observed a change from
period 1 to period 2 in the AID of starch, crude protein, and amino acids; however, the reason for
this change is unclear. Apparent ileal digestibility of starch and amino acids is increased by the
addition of IQ to corn-soybean meal diets, most significantly at 90 mg/kg. And thus, diets may be
formulated with IQ in order to increase the digestibility of nutrients in the weanling pig diet.

I would like to thank Phytobiotics for funding this research, and I would also like to thank my lab
group for their continued guidance and support. If you want to know more about what research our lab
is doing, please visit nutrition.ansci.illinois.edu. Thank you for your attention.