Diets enriched with chicory-derived native inulin can affect kidney and liver mineral content in nursery pigs

Short-chain fatty acids originating from the gut microbiota are the main fermentation products of prebiotics and have recently emerged as key factors influencing the local absorption of dietary macro- and micronutrients. However, it is unclear whether such effects occur in growing pigs, as the existing results are contradictory. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of including 1% (T1 diet) or 3% (T2 diet) native chicory inulin in the diet of nursery pigs on the mineral status of the liver and kidney. Feeding the T2 diet for 40 days, starting from day 10 after birth, increased the deposition (mg/kg) of Mg (P < 0.05), K (P < 0.01) and Se (P < 0.01) in the kidney compared to the control diet. It also increased Na (P < 0.05) and Se (P < 0.01) accumulation in the liver, while decreasing Zn concentration in the kidney (P < 0.05). Administration of both T1 and T2 diets for 40 days elevated Na (P < 0.01) content in the kidney and reduced Zn (P < 0.01) and Cd (P < 0.05) concentrations in the liver of pigs. In conclusion, it appears that inulin supplementation can increase Mg, K, Na and Se content in tissues. This finding is of particular importance due to the well- documented immunostimulatory and antioxidant properties of Se, as well as its capacity to chelate heavy metals such as Cd, thereby mitigating their toxicity. However, our results did not confirm any improvement of Zn content in the tissue.