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The results demonstrated that piglets fed with the LC diet exhibited lower rectal temperature and fecal scores at 9 h, 24 h, and 48 h post-ETEC challenge. Furthermore, LC supplementation led to significant improvements in the mechanical and immune barriers of the jejunum and ileum, as indicated by an increased villi-height-to-crypt-depth ratio (VCR) and the expression of tight junction proteins, mucin, and \u03b2-defensins. Furthermore, the LC diet lowered the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-\u03b1 and IL-1\u03b2 in the plasma. Further analyses showed that the LC diet downregulated genes (specifically TLR4 and MyD88) linked to the TLRs\/MyD88\/NF-\u03baB signaling pathway in the small intestine. Additionally, 16SrDNA sequencing data revealed that LC supplementation increased the \u03b1 diversity of intestinal microorganisms and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus. In summary, the LC-supplemented diet effectively mitigated the adverse effects of E. coli K88, including intestinal barrier damage and inflammation. Furthermore, it improved the structure of the intestinal flora, ultimately contributing to better growth performance in piglets.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13223497","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,13]],"date-time":"2023-11-13T08:35:52Z","timestamp":1699864552000},"page":"3497","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Dietary Supplementation with Lysozyme\u2013Cinnamaldehyde Conjugates Enhances Feed Conversion Efficiency by Improving Intestinal Health and Modulating the Gut Microbiota in Weaned Piglets Infected with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Zhezhe","family":"Tian","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiaming","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tongbin","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junhua","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haoyang","family":"Gan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5397-3354","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shihai","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wutai","family":"Guan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Control, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"},{"name":"Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gan, Z., Wei, W., Li, Y., Wu, J., Zhao, Y., Zhang, L., Wang, T., and Zhong, X. 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