# Effects of Fermentation Compound Chinese Herbal Medicine on the Reproductive Performance, Immune and Antioxidant Status, and Colostrum Metabolites of Ningxiang Sows During the Lactation Period

## TL;DR

This study shows that fermented Chinese herbal medicine improves milk production and health in sows, benefiting piglet growth and immunity.

## Contribution

The novel use of fermented compound Chinese herbal medicine as an effective feed additive for improving sow lactation and piglet health is demonstrated.

## Key findings

- Fermented CHM significantly increased milk yield, immunity, and milk quality in sows.
- FCHM improved piglet growth performance and reduced low-birthweight piglets.
- FCHM enriched key metabolic pathways in colostrum, including oxytocin and calcium signaling.

## Abstract

Low lactation performance and postpartum inflammation in Ningxiang sows are major problems in sow farming, negatively affecting piglet growth and sow welfare. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) mainly come from plants, animals, and minerals that have been reported to possess multiple biological functions, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial activities. This study explores the effect of fermented CHMs on Ningxiang sow reproductive performance and health improvement. The present study showed that fermented CHMs can significantly increase the milk yield and overall immunity of sows, improve the milk quality of sows, and improve the growth performance and immune level of piglets. This study can provide a reference for the application of fermented CHMs as an alternative to antibiotics in sows.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of fermented compound Chinese herbal medicine (FCHM, Vaccaria segetali, Tetrapanax papyriferus, Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort and Rhaponticum uniflorum) on the reproductive performance of Ningxiang sows. A total of 30 Ningxiang sows were randomly assigned to the control group (CON), CHM group, and FCHM group. The results indicated that dietary CHMs and FCHM supplementation significantly increased (p < 0.05) the milk production, feed intake, reproductive performance protein content, and lactose content in the milk of sows and significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the number of somatic cells in colostrum and in the number of low-birthweight piglets. Dietary FCHM supplementation significantly increased (p < 0.05) the number of healthy piglets, birth litter weight, colostrum fat content, and feed intake. Moreover, malondialdehyde, porcine interleukin-1α, and porcine interleukin-6 in sow serum were decreased (p < 0.05), and the activity of superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity, immunoglobulin, prolactin and progesterone levels (p < 0.05) were increased, with FCHM supplementation. The colostrum metabolomics analyses showed that FCHM significantly enriched the oxytocin signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and pathways associated with milk composition synthesis. In conclusion, supplementing with FCHM improved the reproductive performance and milk metabolic biomarkers of sows and may serve as an effective feed additive to improve productivity.