Effect of high-refined carbohydrate diet on intestinal integrity

High-concentrate diet supplemented with hydrolysable tannin improves the slaughter performance, intestinal antioxidant ability and barrier function of fattening lambs

The objective of current experiment was to study the potential influence of hydrolysable tannin supplementation on slaughter performance, meat quality, intestinal digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant ability and barrier function in fattening lambs. In total, 36 male Hu sheep lambs with similar body weight (15.83 ± 0.48 kg) and days in age (55 ± 2 d) were randomly assigned to one of three groups of 12 animals each: control without tannin (CON) and tannin supplementation groups (TA1, 3 g/d per lamb; TA2, 6 g/d per lamb). All the lambs were reared in individual hutches, and the experiment lasted for 60 d. On d 61, 8 lambs from each group were randomly selected to slaughter. Results showed that the serum diamine oxidase and lipopolysaccharide contents of TA2 group were higher (p < 0.05) than those of CON group. Compared with CON group, the carcass weight and intramuscular fat content of lambs in TA1 group were increased (p < 0.05) and the meat shear force was decreased (p < 0.05). The trypsin activity in the jejunum and ileum of TA1 group was higher (p < 0.05) than that of CON and TA2 groups. Also, tannin supplementation significantly increased (p < 0.05) the level of jejunal and ileal total antioxidant capacity and reduced (p < 0.05) the jejunal malondialdehyde concentration in lambs. The jejunum and ileum of TA1 lambs showed reduced (p < 0.05) tumor necrosis factor-alpha and increased (p < 0.05) interleukin-10 mRNA levels compared with CON lambs. In the jejunum, the secretory immunoglobulin A content of TA1 group was higher (p < 0.05) than that of CON and TA2 groups. Lambs supplemented with tannin at the level of 3 g/d increased (p < 0.05) the gene expressions of claudin-1, claudin-4 and zonula occludens-1 in the jejunum when compared to those of CON and TA2 groups. In summary, tannin supplementation at the level of 3 g/d per animal can improve the production performance and intestinal function of fattening lambs fed a high-concentrate diet.

Effect of digested chia seed protein on the gut microbiota and colon morphology of mice fed a high-saturated-fat diet

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of digested total protein (DTP) from chia seed on the gut microbiota and morphology of mice fed with a high-fat diet. Forty-four male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 4 groups: AIN (standard diet), HF (high-fat diet), AIN + DTP (standard diet supplemented with 400 mg of digested chia seed protein), and HF + DTP (high-fat diet supplemented with 400 mg of digested chia seed protein) during 8 weeks. Colon morphology, tight junction's gene expression, and gut microbiota composition were evaluated. The consumption of digested chia seed protein (DTP) increased the crypts width, longitudinal and circular muscular layer. Furthermore, the AIN + DTP group enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins, including occludin and claudin, while the AIN + DTP and HF + DTP groups increase the zonula occludens expression. The α-diversity analysis showed a reduction in bacterial dominance in the HF + DTP group. All the experimental groups were grouped in different cluster, showing differences in the microbiota community in the β-diversity analyzes. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio did not differ among the groups. The genera Olsenella and Dubosiella were increased in the AIN + DTP group, but the Oscillospiraceae_unclassified was increased in the HF + DTP group. The Alistipes was increased, while the Roseburia and Akkermansia were decreased in the AIN + DTP and HF + DTP groups. Then, the consumption of DTP from chia seed improved the gut microbiota composition and mucosal integrity, counteracting the adverse effects of high-fat diet.

Pregnancy Protects against Abnormal Gut Permeability Promoted via the Consumption of a High-Fat Diet in Mice

The consumption of large amounts of dietary fats and pregnancy are independent factors that can promote changes in gut permeability and the gut microbiome landscape. However, there is limited evidence regarding the impact of pregnancy on the regulation of such parameters in females fed a high-fat diet. Here, gut permeability and microbiome landscape were evaluated in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity in pregnancy. The results show that pregnancy protected against the harmful effects of the consumption of a high-fat diet as a disruptor of gut permeability; thus, there was a two-fold reduction in FITC-dextran passage to the bloodstream compared to non-pregnant mice fed a high-fat diet (p < 0.01). This was accompanied by an increased expression of gut barrier-related transcripts, particularly in the ileum. In addition, the beneficial effect of pregnancy on female mice fed the high-fat diet was accompanied by a reduced presence of bacteria belonging to the genus Clostridia, and by increased Lactobacillus murinus in the gut (p < 0.05). Thus, this study advances the understanding of how pregnancy can act during a short window of time, protecting against the harmful effects of the consumption of a high-fat diet by promoting an increased expression of transcripts encoding proteins involved in the regulation of gut permeability, particularly in the ileum, and promoting changes in the gut microbiome.