Chinese herbal extracts prevent and treat heat stress in pigs

The suitable growth temperature for pigs is between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius. During heat stress, the energy consumption of pigs increases significantly, and the pigs can only maintain basic physiological functions such as heat dissipation, blood circulation and respiration, resulting in varying degrees of decline in the pigs' resistance and immunity, and then a decline in feed efficiency, productivity and meat quality, causing serious economic losses to the pig farms.

In the prevention and treatment of heat stress, the most commonly used method is to add antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin E and other vitamin preparations. Chinese herbal medicine resources are extensive, and many of them have heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, such as honeysuckle, skullcap, forsythia, patchouli, peppermint, etc., which have significant effects in alleviating heat stress and have been used in Qingre-Antai Granules, Qingre-Jiedu Tablets, and Qingre-Antai Granules. Mixture, Qingrening granules and other traditional Chinese medicine formulas for clearing away heat and detoxifying. In pig production, Yuan Wenjun (2010) and others reported that additives made from honeysuckle, mint, astragalus, etc. can alleviate the heat stress response of fattening pigs, increase lean meat rate, reduce drip loss, and significantly improve the quality of fattening pigs. . Hu Dan et al. (2015) fed fattening pigs with compound Chinese medicine containing honeysuckle and found that feeding different doses of compound Chinese medicine could significantly reduce the serum MDA content and increase the total antioxidant capacity of fattening pigs. In-depth research has found that the active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine are the material basis for their corresponding functions, and traditional Chinese medicine extracts have also been recognized by more and more industry personnel.

The flavonoids (such as luteolin glucoside, luteolin galactopyranoside, hyperoside, etc.) and chlorogenic acids contained in the extract of honeysuckle (Mountain Yinhua) all have strong antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. inflammatory effects, and studies on their mechanism have found that they can scavenge excessive free radicals, thereby improving myocardial energy metabolism and various enzyme activities, indirectly improving the body's tolerance to hypoxia, and ultimately protecting and stabilizing myocardial cell membranes. permeability and integrity, thereby improving anti-stress ability (Fu Yunbin, 2016). As the most abundant flavonoid in Scutellaria baicalensis, baicalin has obvious heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. Studies have shown that 100mg/kg (body weight)/d (suspended in sodium carboxymethylcellulose) baicalin can effectively alleviate the elevated body temperature, liver and other organ damage, and diarrhea in mice caused by ulcerative colitis. (Liang et al., 2019). In-depth research on its mechanism has found that baicalin can effectively antagonize endotoxin (LPS) on the one hand, inhibit the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) caused by LPS, thereby reducing the damage to the body. Fever and histopathological reactions; on the other hand, by activating nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, it inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors and reduces inflammatory cytokines (leukocyte-mediated cytokines) during the fever process. (Wu Rujuan et al., 2022; Li Qiannan et al., 2010; Sun Xianxian et al., 2013). The Shanhua Scutellaria baicalensis extract powder developed by Beijing Shentailer is a Chinese herbal extract compounded from Shan Yinhua extract and Scutellaria baicalensis extract. It has the effects of clearing away heat, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory. It can prevent heat stress in pigs. Have a positive effect.