Silymarin has been shown to be a multiple‐functional plant extract having antioxidant, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic and anti‐obesity effects. In recent years, the galactagogue effects of silymarin in animals and humans have also been revealed. This research was conducted to test whether dietary inclusion of silymarin during transition and lactation could impact reproductive performance of sows and to explore the underlying mechanisms. From day 108 of gestation to weaning, sows were randomly assigned to receive dietary treatment of silymarin (40 g/day) or not and were designated as control group (CGP, n = 55) or treatment group (TGP, n = 55). The results showed that piglets’ average daily gain and average weaning weight were higher in TGP than CGP sows. In comparison with the CGP sows, the TGP sows had higher serum concentrations of catalase (CAT) on day 18 of lactation and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) on day 7 of lactation. The TGP sows had lower concentration of TNF‐α on day 7 of lactation and significantly lower concentration of IL‐1β on day 18 of lactation than CGP sows. There was significantly higher serum concentration of PRL on day 7 of lactation in sows consuming silymarin than sows from the CGP group. On day 18 of lactation, the protein and urea contents in milk were significantly increased while the serum urea concentration was significantly decreased in TGP sows. In summary, our results indicate that silymarin supplementation during transition and lactation can increase circulating concentrations of PRL transiently, reduce oxidative stress, increase feed intake and enhance protein metabolism, thereby significantly increasing milk yield of sows and subsequently improving growth performance of their offsprings.

中文翻译：

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过渡期和哺乳期补充水飞蓟素对母猪繁殖性能、乳汁成分和血液学参数的影响。

水飞蓟素已被证明是一种多功能植物提取物，具有抗氧化、保肝、降血脂、抗高血压、抗糖尿病和抗肥胖作用。近年来，水飞蓟素在动物和人类中的催乳作用也被揭示出来。本研究旨在测试在过渡和泌乳期间日粮中添加水飞蓟素是否会影响母猪的繁殖性能并探索其潜在机制。从妊娠第 108 天到断奶，母猪被随机分配接受或不接受水飞蓟素日粮治疗（40 g/天），并指定为对照组（CGP，n  = 55）或治疗组（TGP，n = 55）。结果表明，TGP组仔猪的平均日增重和平均断奶体重高于CGP组母猪。与 CGP 母猪相比，TGP 母猪在泌乳第 18 天具有更高的过氧化氢酶 (CAT) 血清浓度，在泌乳第 7 天具有更高的谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 (GSH-Px) 浓度。与 CGP 母猪相比，TGP 母猪在泌乳第 7 天的 TNF-α 浓度较低，而在泌乳第 18 天的 IL-1β 浓度显着降低。在泌乳第 7 天，食用水飞蓟素的母猪的血清 PRL 浓度明显高于 CGP 组的母猪。在泌乳第18天，TGP母猪的牛奶中蛋白质和尿素含量显着增加，而血清尿素浓度显着降低。总之，