Dietary supplementation with Chinese herbal ultra‐fine powder enhances cellular and humoral immunity in early‐weaned piglets

This study was conducted to determine effects of dietary supplementation with a Chinese herbal ultra‐fine (CHU) powder on cellular and humoral immunity in early‐weaned piglets. Sixty piglets weaned at 21 days of age were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatment groups representing supplementation with 0 or 2 g/kg of the powder, or 0.2 g/kg of colistin (an antibiotic) to maize‐ and soybean meal‐based diets (n = 20). On days 7, 14 and 28 after initiation of the treatment, lymphocyte proliferating activity and serum levels of antibodies and cytokines were measured. Results indicated that the powder enhanced (P < 0.05) serum concentrations of IL‐2, IL‐6 and TNF‐α on days 7 and 28, and of IgG and IgM on day 28, as well as the proliferating activity of blood lymphocytes in vivo on all days relative to the none additive group. Addition of the powder (7.82 to 31.25 mg/ml) to culture medium in vitro also increased (P < 0.05) the proliferating activity of blood lymphocytes compared with the none additive group. These findings indicate a beneficial effect of the CHU powder on cellular and humoral immune responses in piglets.