metzler-zebeli b.u.（2011，2012）reported the effects of oat β-glucan in combination with low-and high-dietary calcium phosphate (cap) content on gastrointestinal health of weaned pigs. (high-cap control diet: cap level of the diet corresponding to 125 and 115% of actual ca and p requirements, respectively, of pigs weighing between 5 and 10 kg; low-cap control diet: ca and p levels of 65% of the actual requirement of piglets weighing between 5 and 10 kg)
the results as follow:
(1) the high-dietary cap can not only decreased total lactate and l-lactate (p<0.05) in gastric digesta, but also there is a trend that can reduce the content of volatile fatty acids in cecum and colon, especially the amount of propionate in cecum and hexanoic acid in colon were reduced significantly (p<0.05).
(2) the high-dietary cap decreased numbers of gastric streptococci and enterococcus spp. in the ileum, but increased the amount of clostridium cluster xiva in the ileum of weaned pigs.
(3) high-cap diets down-regulated duodenal expression of il-1β (p<0.05) and colonic il-6 of weaned pigs.
(4) high-cap diets up-regulated duodenal pepn (aminopeptidase n) and mct1 (monocarboxylate transporter 1) expression, so increased the absorption of amino acids and volatile fatty acids of weaned pigs.
the results indicated that, in addition to being essential nutrients for bone accretion, dietary cap level can improve the gastrointestinal health of weaned pigs by adjusting intestinal flora and their fermentation products, reducing the inflammatory factors secretion and improving nutrient absorption.
references：
（1）metzler-zebeli bu, zijlstra rt, mosenthin r, and ganzle mg. 2011. dietary calcium phosphate content and oat β-glucan influence gastrointestinal microbiota, butyrate-producing bacteria and butyrate fermentation in weaned pigs. fems microbiol ecol. 75:402–13.
（2）metzler-zebeli bu, michael g. ganzle, rainer mosenthin, and ruurd t. zijlstra. 2012. oat β-glucan and dietary calcium and phosphorus differentially modify intestinal expression of proinflammatory cytokines and monocarboxylate transporter 1 and cecal morphology in weaned pigs. j. nutr. 142: 668
