Oregano Essential Oil Improves Intestinal Morphology and Expression of Tight Junction Proteins Associated with Modulation of Selected Intestinal Bacteria and Immune Status in a Pig Model

• Main Authors: Yi Zou, Quanhang Xiang, Jun Wang, Jian Peng, Hongkui Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
• Series: BioMed Research International
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5436738
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141

Oregano essential oil (OEO) has long been used to improve the health of animals, particularly the health of intestine, which is generally attributed to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. However, how OEO acts in the intestine of pig is still unclear. This study was aimed at elucidating how OEO promotes the intestinal barrier integrity in a pig model. Pigs were fed a control diet alone or one supplemented with 25 mg/kg of OEO for 4 weeks. The OEO-treated pigs showed decreased (P<0.05) endotoxin level in serum and increased (P<0.05) villus height and expression of occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in the jejunum. These results demonstrated that the integrity of intestinal barrier was improved by OEO treatment. The OEO-treated pigs had a lower (P<0.05) population of Escherichia coli in the jejunum, ileum, and colon than the control. This is in accordance with the greater inactivation (P<0.05) of inflammation, which was reflected by the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), protein kinase B (Akt), and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways and expression of inflammatory cytokines in the jejunum. Our results show that OEO promotes intestinal barrier integrity, probably through modulating intestinal bacteria and immune status in pigs.