Milkvetch root feeds gut bacteria that protect sows around farrowing
Dai T, Zhou J, Ran S, Sun H, Wei H
Medicinal Plants
Astragalus, the spiny-leafed perennial grown for ornamental seed pods and traditional medicine, contains polysaccharides your gut bacteria ferment into anti-inflammatory compounds — and this study confirms that mechanism drives its therapeutic effects, not any direct absorption by the body.
Milkvetch root contains complex sugars our bodies can't break down on their own, but gut bacteria can — and when they do, they produce a fatty acid called butyrate that calms inflammation and strengthens the gut lining. Researchers fed these sugars to pregnant pigs and found that the pigs' gut bacteria shifted toward butyrate-producing species, reducing the metabolic stress that often hits sows hard around birth. Piglets from treated mothers weighed more at weaning, and the sows bounced back to reproductive readiness faster.
Key Findings
APS fermentation raised butyrate production to 22.04 mmol/L in vitro, enriching butyrate-producing genera including Muribaculaceae and Lachnospiraceae (P < 0.05)
Sows supplemented with 10 g/day APS from gestational day 90 had reduced postpartum IL-6 and reactive oxygen species, less backfat loss during lactation, and a shorter post-weaning estrus interval
A sodium butyrate rescue experiment confirmed butyrate as the key mediator linking APS-driven microbiome shifts to reduced perinatal metabolic syndrome
chevron_right Technical Summary
A compound extracted from milkvetch (Astragalus membranaceus) acts as a prebiotic in sows, feeding gut bacteria that produce butyrate, which in turn reduces inflammation and metabolic stress around the time of birth. Supplementing sows with the extract improved piglet weaning weights, cut maternal fat loss, and shortened the interval before sows returned to reproductive cycling.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Astragalus polysaccharides ameliorate perinatal metabolic syndrome in sows via enhancing butyrate-producing bacteria.
Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), a bioactive phytomacromolecule from Astragalus membranaceus, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities. Given mammals' lack of endoge...
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Astragalus is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Common names incl...