Effects of spray-dried porcine plasma and plant extracts on intestinal morphology and on leukocyte cell subsets of weaned pigs1 (original) (raw)

2006, Journal of Animal Science

We evaluated the effects of a 6% spraydried porcine plasma (SDPP) and a plant extracts mixture (XT; 5% carvacrol, 3% cinnamaldehyde, and 2% capsicum oleoresin) on the productive performance, intestinal morphology, and leukocyte cell subsets of earlyweaned pigs compared with a control group. Morphometry of the jejunum, ileum, and colon, and immune cell analysis of blood, ileocolic lymph node (LN), and ileal Peyer's patches were done in 24 weaned pigs (20 ± 2 d) at 19 or 21 d postweaning. Although SDPP and XT treatments did not increase ADG or ADFI, SDPP improved the G:F ratio (P = 0.024) compared with the control group. Dietary SDPP reduced the percentages of blood monocytes (P = 0.006) and macrophages in ileal Peyer's patches and LN (P = 0.04), of B lymphocytes