Gut Health and Nutritional Interventions in Weaned Pigs

Weaning represents a critical phase in swine production, marked by dietary transition, immunological immaturity and altered microbial colonisation. Disruptions to gut barrier function and microbiota balance can precipitate post-weaning diarrhoea, reduced feed intake and suboptimal growth. Nutritional strategies aim to support mucosal integrity, modulate microbial ecosystems and enhance immune resilience. Bioactive compounds such as seaweed-derived polysaccharides, laminarin and fucoidan, alongside prebiotic fibres and milk-derived oligosaccharides, foster beneficial bacterial populations and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Antioxidants and trace minerals (selenium, zinc) maintain redox equilibrium and enzyme activity, while probiotic formulations introduce protective microbial strains. Optimising dietary composition influences villus architecture, tight junction expression and cytokine signalling, reducing reliance on pharmacological antibiotics and high-dose zinc oxide. Integrative approaches using metabolomics, transcriptomics and microbial profiling are shaping precision feeding regimens that promote animal welfare, environmental sustainability and product quality.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have investigated the effects of fermented Saccharina latissima inclusion at 8% of the diet in pigs co-infected with Ascaris suum and Oesophagostomum dentatum. Dietary supplementation increased microbiota α-diversity with shifts favouring Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia and Spirochaetes, while reducing Prevotella copri. Immune gene expression was modulated in a site-specific manner, attenuating inflammation in the jejunum and amplifying responses in the colon. Despite no reduction in parasite burdens, these findings underscore the capacity of macroalgal extracts to alter the gut environment and local mucosal immunity, encouraging further exploration of seaweed-derived products as gut health interventions in weaned pigs.

Gut Health and Nutritional Interventions in Weaned Pigs publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in gut health and nutritional interventions in weaned pigs across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Microbiota: The community of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): Fermentation products (e.g. acetate, propionate, butyrate) that nourish enterocytes and regulate immunity.

Intestinal barrier function: The ability of the gut lining to prevent pathogen entry while allowing nutrient absorption.

Tight junction proteins: Transmembrane proteins (e.g. claudin, occludin, ZO-1) that seal intercellular spaces between epithelial cells.

Prebiotic: A non-digestible dietary component that selectively stimulates beneficial gut microbes.

Keap1/Nrf2 signalling pathway: A cellular mechanism regulating antioxidant gene expression in response to oxidative stress.

Mucosal immunity: Immune responses in the gut mucosa involving secretory IgA and cytokine production.

Post-weaning diarrhoea: Gastrointestinal disturbance common after weaning, often due to microbial imbalance and immature immunity.

References

1. Fucoidan Supplementation Improves Antioxidant Capacity via Regulating the Keap1/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway and Mitochondrial Function in Low-Weaning Weight Piglets. Antioxidants (2024).
2. The effects of dietary supplementation with mushroom or selenium enriched mushroom powders on the growth performance and intestinal health of post-weaned pigs. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology (2023).
3. Dietary seaweed (Saccharina latissima) supplementation in pigs induces localized immunomodulatory effects and minor gut microbiota changes during intestinal helminth infection. Scientific Reports (2023).
4. Dietary seaweed-derived polysaccharides improve growth performance of weaned pigs through maintaining intestinal barrier function and modulating gut microbial populations. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology (2021).