Effects of GXC (β-glucanase and xylanase compounds) on serum IGF-I levels and hepatic IGF-I mRNA expression in weaned piglets.

To investigate the effects of β-glucanase and xylanase compounds(GXC) supplementation on serum insulin-like growth factor I(IGF-I) levels and hepatic IGF-I mRNA expression in weaned piglets fed a barley-based diet,thirty-six crossbred(Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) weaned piglets were randomly assigned to two groups with three replicates based on sex and mass.Each group was fed on the diet based on barley with or without addition of 0.15% GXC for a 28-d period.The results show that supplementation with GXC enhanced average daily gain(ADG) by 13.99%(P0.05),decreased feed to gain ratio by 6.32%(P0.05),but unaffected average daily feed intake(ADFI).In comparison with control,GXC addition increased serum IGF-I levels by 43.91%(P0.01) and upregulated hepatic IGF-I mRNA expression by 33.43%(P0.01).In conclusion,GXC supplementation not only could improve the utilization of barley-based feed in piglets,but also could upregulate hepatic IGF-I mRNA expression and serum IGF-I levels,which in turn promotes the growth of piglets.