ABSTRACT: Supplementation with B. subtilis peptide ameliorates growth performance, maintains intestinal barrier and promotes intestinal beneficial bacteria metabolism in broilers
Project description:The aim of this study was to explore whether, and if so, how Bacillus subtilis KC1 can enhance the growth performance of broilers that have been adversely affected by Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection. A total of 96 1-day-old male broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups: the control group (basal diet), the MG group (basal diet + MG challenge), the Bacillus subtilis KC1 group (basal diet + Bacillus subtilis KC1 supplementation), the Bacillus subtilis KC1 + MG group (basal diet + Bacillus subtilis KC1 supplementation + MG challenge). The trial lasted 42 days, and the results showed that the MG group had significantly reduced body weight and average daily gain, as well as increased feed conversion ratio of broilers, compared to the control group. Dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis KC1 significantly improved the growth performance of MG-infected broilers. In addition, dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis KC1 significantly improved oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers, characterized by increased superoxide dismutase levels and reduced levels of malondialdehyde, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Furthermore, both metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses indicated that MG infection markedly disrupted amino acid metabolism in broilers, whereas Bacillus subtilis KC1 supplementation alleviated the abnormal amino acid metabolism caused by MG infection. These results suggested that Bacillus subtilis KC1 may alleviate the poor growth performance caused by MG infection in broilers by improving amino acid metabolism.
Project description:Adding lysolecithin to feed has reportedly improved the performance of broiler chickens. Lysolecithin is generated by phospholipase catalyzed hydrolysis of lecithin. The enzymatic reaction converts phospholipids into lysophospholipids, with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) the primary product. Here we compared supplementation with a commercial lysolecithin (Lysoforte(R) Kemin Industries, Inc., Des Moines, IA) with comparable levels of purified LPC for effects on broilers. Despite no differences in weight gain during the starter period, we discovered a significant increase in average villus length in the jejunum with lysolecithin, but not with LPC. High-throughput gene expression microarray analyses revealed many more genes were regulated in the epithelium of jejunum by lysolecithin compared to LPC. The most upregulated genes and pathways were for collagen, extracellular matrix and integrins. Staining sections of jejunum with Sirius Red confirmed the increased deposition of collagen fibrils in villi of broilers fed lysolecithin but not LPC. Thus, lysolecithin elicits gene expression in the intestinal epithelium leading to enhanced collagen deposition and villus length. LPC alone as a supplement does not mimic these responses. Feed supplementation with lysolecithin triggers changes in the intestinal epithelium with the potential to improve overall gut health and performance.
Project description:Although it is clear that probiotics improve intestinal barrier function, little is known about the effects of probiotics on the aging intestine. We investigated effects of 10-wk bacterial supplementation of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1, Lactobacillus casei BL23, or Bifidobacterium breve DSM20213 on gut barrier and immunity in 16-week-old accelerated aging Ercc1-/Δ7 mice, which have a median lifespan of ~20wk, and their wild-type littermates. The colonic barrier in Ercc1-/Δ7 mice was characterized by a thin (<10µm) mucus layer. L. plantarum prevented this decline in mucus integrity in Ercc1-/Δ7 mice, whereas B. breve exacerbated it. Bacterial supplementations affected the expression of immune-related genes, including Toll-like receptor 4. Regulatory T cell frequencies were increased in the mesenteric lymph nodes of L. plantarum- and L. casei-treated Ercc1-/Δ7 mice. L. plantarum- and L. casei-treated Ercc1-/Δ7 mice showed increased specific antibody production in a T cell-dependent immune response in vivo. By contrast, the effects of bacterial supplementation on wild-type control mice were negligible. Thus, supplementation with L. plantarum – but not with L. casei and B. breve – prevented the decline in the mucus barrier in Ercc1-/Δ7 mice. Our data indicate that age is an important factor influencing beneficial or detrimental effects of candidate probiotics. These findings also highlight the need for caution in translating beneficial effects of probiotics observed in young animals or humans to the elderly.
Project description:Abdominal fat (AF) and intramuscular fat (IMF) are key carcass traits in broilers but managing both is challenging due to their contrasting effects. Arginine (Arg) supplementation has potential effect in lipid metabolism, however its tissue specific effect remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the tissue specific effect of Arg supplementation on growth performance and fat metabolism in both liver and pectoral muscle in broilers. A total of 480 Arbor Acre chicks were randomly assigned to four groups: Control (0 g/kg), Arg (1.8 g/kg), 5X Arg (9 g/kg) and 10X Arg (18g/kg), with 12 replicates of 10 birds each. Overall, high Arg supplementation (5X, 10X) significantly impaired growth performance, reducing average daily gain and feed intake, accompanied by elevated serum AST and IFN-γ levels (p<0.05). Liver transcriptomics analysis revealed that 10X Arg significantly enriched PPAR signaling pathway, promoting fatty acid oxidation while suppressing lipogenic genes. Conversely, in pectoral muscle, high Arg (10X) promoted intramuscular fat deposition which was associated with downregulation of PPAR-α (p<0.05) and increased expression of key lipogenic genes involved in de novo lipogenesis (SREBP-1c, FAS, ACC and SCD). Moreover, Arg supplementation modulated drug metabolism genes in liver, including EPX and RRM2, suggesting potential impacts on detoxification pathways. These findings underscore the importance of precise Arg dosing to optimize broiler growth, immune function, and carcass quality by targeting its tissue specific metabolic effect.
Project description:An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary inclusion of rye, a model ingredient to increase gut viscosity, between 14 and 28 days of age on immune competence related parameters and performance of broiler. A total number of 960 one-day-old male Ross 308 chicks were weighed and randomly allocated to 24 pens (40 birds per pen), and the birds in every 8 replicate pens were assigned to one of three experimental diets including graded levels, 0%, 5%, and 10% of rye. Tested immune competence related parameters were composition of the intestinal microbiota, genes expression in gut tissue, and gut morphology. The inclusion of 5% or 10% rye in the diet (d14-28) resulted in decreased performance and litter quality, but in increased villus height and crypt depth in the small intestine (jejunum) of the broilers. Relative bursa and spleen weights were not affected by dietary inclusion of rye. In the jejunum, no effects on number and size of goblet cells, and only trends on microbiota composition in the digesta were observed. Dietary inclusion of rye affected expression of genes involved in cell cycle processes of the jejunal enterocyte cells, thereby influencing cell growth, cell differentiation and cell survival, which in turn were consistent with the observed differences in the morphology of the gut wall. In addition, providing rye-rich diets to broilers affected the complement and coagulation pathways, which are parts of the innate immune system. These pathways are involved in eradicating invasive pathogens. Overall, it can be concluded that inclusion of 5% or 10% rye to the grower diet of broilers had limited effects on performance. Ileal gut morphology, microbiota composition of jejunal digesta, and gene expression profiles of jejunal tissue, however, were affected by dietary rye inclusion level, indicating that rye supplementation to broiler diets might affect immune competence of the birds.
Project description:The intestinal microbiome forms dynamic ecosystem whose balanced composition and functioning are essential for maintaining overall gut health and well-being in living organisms. In broilers, dysbiosis disrupts the microbiota-host balance, often without obvious clinical symptoms but with intestinal inflammation, leading to impaired animal performance and significant economic losses. This study utilizes an in vivo model of dysbiosis to investigate the blood proteome response of broilers to intestinal imbalance. Microscopic histological changes in the gut (shorter villi, increased crypt depth, p<0.0001) were observed in the duodenal and jejunal tissue of challenged birds. Elevated levels of permeability markers faecal ovotransferrin (p < 0.0001) and serum iohexol (p= 0.0009) additionally indicated increased intestinal permeability in challenged group compared to control. The MS/MS-based proteomics analysis was performed on broilers’ blood plasma enabling identification of 388 proteins, 25 of which demonstrated significant difference between the groups. Functional analysis showed activation of immune response, signalling, and interspecies interaction, while proteins related to cellular physiology, cell-cell communication, and extracellular matrix (ECM) processes were suppressed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis revealed two clusters of downregulated proteins involved in ECM organization and cell adhesion. These results suggest that the dysbiosis challenge alters plasma protein expression as the host prioritizes immune defense over structural maintenance. The activation of immune processes and suppression of ECM pathways highlight potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for addressing dysbiosis.
Project description:Advanced maternal age, defined as 35 years or older, is associated with a decline in both ovarian reserve and oocyte quality, which leads to the female infertility, pregnancy loss, fetal anomalies, stillbirth, and obstetric complications. At present, the effective approaches to counteract the maternal age-related decay of oocyte quality are still not fully determined. Here, we report that in vivo supplementation of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) efficaciously ameliorates the quality of oocytes from naturally aged mice by recovering nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) levels in oocytes. NMN supplementation increases the number of antral follicles, ovulated oocytes and matured oocytes from aged mice. Specifically, NMN supplementation maintains the normal spindle/chromosome structure and dynamics of cortical granule component ovastacin to ensure the meiotic competency and fertilization ability of aged oocytes. Moreover, single cell transcriptome analysis shows that the beneficial effect of NMN on the aged oocytes is mediated by the restoration of the mitochondrial function, thereby reducing the accumulated ROS to suppress the occurrence of apoptosis. To sum up, our data reveal that supplementation of NMN is a feasible approach to prevent oocyte quality from advanced maternal age-related deterioration, contributing to improve the reproductive outcome of aged women and the assisted reproductive technology.
Project description:We reported that the deletion of NSD2 in IECs leads to intestinal barrier dysfunction and exacerbates inflammatory infiltration. Further analysis revealed that a deficiency of NSD2 results in decreases of H3K36me2 at protein level and Fmo expression at mRNA level to impede taurine accumulation, both in vitro and in vivo. Supplementation of taurine can effectively alleviate intestinal epithelial damage in NSD2-deficient IBD mice. Thus, these results indicate that NSD2 act as a protector of the intestinal epithelial barrier during intestinal inflammation, which helps maintain intestinal epithelial homeostasis by preventing cell apoptosis.
Project description:We reported that the deletion of NSD2 in IECs leads to intestinal barrier dysfunction and exacerbates inflammatory infiltration. Further analysis revealed that a deficiency of NSD2 results in decreases of H3K36me2 at protein level and Fmo expression at mRNA level to impede taurine accumulation, both in vitro and in vivo. Supplementation of taurine can effectively alleviate intestinal epithelial damage in NSD2-deficient IBD mice. Thus, these results indicate that NSD2 act as a protector of the intestinal epithelial barrier during intestinal inflammation, which helps maintain intestinal epithelial homeostasis by preventing cell apoptosis.
Project description:The multiple toxic effects of Ochratoxin A(OTA) are a real threat for human beings and animal health. It has been suggested that probiotic improve the epithelial barrier disruption and reduce cell damage induced by mycotoxins. However, the exact effect and mechanism of probiotic Bacillus subtilis CW14 on epithelial barrier function is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether B. subtilis CW14 could protect against OTA-induced barrier disruption and cell damage in human intestinal epithelial cell line (Caco-2). The results showed that OTA was absorbed efficiently in Caco-2 cells, led to microvilli disruption and tight junction protein(ZO-1 and claudin-1) damage, and suppressed cell proliferation by arresting cell cycle in G2/M phase and promoting apoptosis. The addictive of B. subtilis CW14 strains could partially reversed the tight junction injury by improving the ZO-1 protein expression and reduced the apoptosis induced by OTA. Furthermore, the transcriptome analysis data indicated that OTA mainly down-regulated the gene expression involved in tight junctions, cell cycle, and apoptosis-related signaling pathways. While the B. subtilis CW14 has the potential to protect epithelial barrier through activating the toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and could partially repair the OTA damage by down-regulating the TRAIL death receptor genes and up-regulating the DNA repair genes. Our findings suggest an important implication for the role of B. subtilis CW14 on the regulation of tight junction proteins and reduction cell death in intestine epithelial cells, and that is a potential candidate as a food additive to protect against intestinal damage.