Dietary hydrolyzed wheat gluten supplementation ameliorated intestinal barrier dysfunctions of broilers challenged with Escherichia coli O78

The Combined Use of Cinnamaldehyde and Vitamin C Is Beneficial for Better Carcass Character and Intestinal Health of Broilers

The use of cinnamaldehyde and Vitamin C can improve immunity and intestinal health. A two-way factorial design was employed to investigate the main and interactive effects of cinnamaldehyde and vitamin C on the growth, carcass, and intestinal health of broiler chickens. A total of 288 one-day-old female Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly distributed among four treatment groups, consisting of six replicate cages with 12 birds each. Four treatments were basal diet or control (CON), supplemental cinnamaldehyde (CA) 300 g/ton (g/t), vitamin C (VC) 300 g/t, and cinnamaldehyde 300 g/t, and vitamin C 300 g/t (CA + VC), respectively. The results showed that supplemental CA did not affect the growth performance or slaughter performance of broilers at 21 days (d), 42 days (d), and 1-42 days (d); however, it could improve intestinal barrier function at 42 d of age and reduce the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors in the intestine at 21 d and 42 d of age. Supplemental VC showed a trend towards increasing body weight gain (BWG) at 21 d (p = 0.094), increased breast muscle rate (at 21-d 5.33%, p < 0.05 and at 42-d 7.09%, p = 0.097), and decreased the abdominal fat (23.43%, p < 0.05) and drip loss (20.68%, p < 0.05) at 42-d. Moreover, VC improves intestinal morphology and intestinal barrier function and maintains a balanced immune response. The blend of CA and VC significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD-88) in the intestine at 21 d of age, the mRNA expression of catalase (CAT), Occludin, Claudin-1, Mucin-2, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) in the intestine at 42 d of age (p < 0.01), and downregulated the mRNA expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the intestine at 21-d and 42-d of age, and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) mRNA in intestine at 42 d of age (p < 0.01). This study suggested that the combination of CA and VC had the potential to regulate intestinal health and result in better carcass character of broilers.

Glutamine-derived peptides: Current progress and future directions

Glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in the body, plays a critical role in preserving immune function, nitrogen balance, intestinal integrity, and resistance to infection. However, its limited solubility and instability present challenges for its use a functional nutrient. Consequently, there is a preference for utilizing glutamine-derived peptides as an alternative to achieve enhanced functionality. This article aims to review the applications of glutamine monomers in clinical, sports, and enteral nutrition. It compares the functional effectiveness of monomers and glutamine-derived peptides and provides a comprehensive assessment of glutamine-derived peptides in terms of their classification, preparation, mechanism of absorption, and biological activity. Furthermore, this study explores the potential integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based peptidomics and synthetic biology in the de novo design and large-scale production of these peptides. The findings reveal that glutamine-derived peptides possess significant structure-related bioactivities, with the smaller molecular weight fraction serving as the primary active ingredient. These peptides possess the ability to promote intestinal homeostasis, exert hypotensive and hypoglycemic effects, and display antioxidant properties. However, our understanding of the structure-function relationships of glutamine-derived peptides remains largely exploratory at current stage. The combination of AI based peptidomics and synthetic biology presents an opportunity to explore the untapped resources of glutamine-derived peptides as functional food ingredients. Additionally, the utilization and bioavailability of these peptides can be enhanced through the use of delivery systems in vivo. This review serves as a valuable reference for future investigations of and developments in the discovery, functional validation, and biomanufacturing of glutamine-derived peptides in food science.

Dietary supplementation with a silicate clay mineral (palygorskite) alleviates inflammatory responses and intestinal barrier damage in broiler chickens challenged with Escherichia coli

This experiment aimed to explore the protective effects of dietary palygorskite (Pal) supplementation on inflammatory responses and intestinal barrier function of broiler chickens challenged with Escherichia coli (E. coli). A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was designed to assess the effects of Pal administration (0 or 5 g/kg of feed) and E. coli challenge (E. coli or bacterial culture medium) on broilers in a 21-d feeding trial. Birds were randomly assigned into one of the 4 groups, and each group had 8 replicates with ten birds each. The challenged chickens were orally gavaged with E. coli suspended in Luria-Bertani broth on 14 d of age, while unchallenged birds were administrated with an equivalent amount of culture medium. The sampling was performed at 21 d of age. Compared with the normal birds, an oral E. coli challenge reduced final body weight, and decreased feed intake, weight gain, and feed efficiency during the challenge period (P < 0.05). E. coli challenge promoted colonization of E. coli in cecal content and their translocation to internal organs (heart, liver, and spleen) (P < 0.05). E. coli infection also increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in jejunum and ileum possibly through activating the toll-like receptor-4-mediated signaling pathway (P < 0.05). Moreover, E. coli administration increased intestinal mucosal permeability (higher serum D-lactate level and diamine oxidase activity, and lower intestinal mucosal disaccharidase activities), altered intestinal morphology, and downregulated the gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins (P < 0.05). In contrast, Pal supplementation enhanced growth performance, inhibited colonization of E. coli, reduced intestinal inflammation, decreased intestinal permeability, restored intestinal morphology, and normalized the expression of genes responsible for inflammatory processes and maintenance of intestinal mucosal barrier (P < 0.05), and most of these beneficial effects resulting from Pal administration were independent of bacterial challenge. The results indicated dietary Pal incorporation was effective in improving growth performance and alleviating inflammation and intestinal mucosal barrier damage in broilers challenged with E. coli.

Effects of fecal microbiota transplantation and fecal virome transplantation on LPS-induced intestinal injury in broilers

The interesting roles and efficiencies of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have attracted considerable attention and have been gradually evidenced in specific animal models. While the growing evidence that bacteriophages play roles in FMT efficacy has attracted considerable interest. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of FMT and fecal virome transplantation (FVT) in improving inflammatory damage and ileal microbiota disorder in broilers. A total of 224 Arbor Acres broilers were selected at 1-day-old and randomly divided into the following 4 groups, with 56 broilers in each group: the CON group (the negative control group, sterile physiological saline injection + sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution gavage), LPS group (the positive control group, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection + sterile PBS solution gavage), LPS + FMT group (LPS injection + FMT solution gavage), LPS + FVT group (LPS injection + FVT solution gavage). The results showed that: LPS injection significantly upregulated the mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ (P < 0.05) and IL-8 (P < 0.001) in ileal mucosa of broilers at 11th day of age (D11), while LPS + FMT and LPS + FVT did not; LPS injection significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of ZO-1 in ileal mucosa at D11 (P < 0.01), while LPS + FMT and LPS + FVT did not; at D11, compare to CON group, LPS injection and LPS + FMT significantly increased the relative abundance of virulence factor Rab2 interacting conserved protein A-related genes in broiler ileum contents (P < 0.05), while LPS + FVT had no significant difference with CON group (P > 0.05); at D11, LPS injection significantly downregulated the biosynthesis of antibiotics pathway (P < 0.05) in the ileal contents, while LPS + FVT did not. In conclusion, both FMT and FVT could promote the recovery of inflammation caused by LPS. Furthermore, FVT had shown less disadvantage stimulation on the broilers and could reduce the risk of transmission of pathogenic genes, compared to FMT.

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of FST and its effects on inflammatory response and intestinal barrier function in mice infected with Escherichia coli O78

Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) can cause intestinal diseases in humans and livestock, damage the intestinal barrier, increase systemic inflammation, and seriously threaten human health and the development of animal husbandry. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel conjugate florfenicol sulfathiazole (FST) based on drug combination principles, and investigated its antibacterial activity in vitro and its protective effect on inflammatory response and intestinal barrier function in E. coli O78-infected mice in vivo. The results showed that FST had superior antibacterial properties and minimal cytotoxicity compared with its prodrugs as florfenicol and sulfathiazole. FST protected mice from lethal E. coli infection, reduced clinical signs of inflammation, reduced weight loss, alleviated intestinal structural damage. FST decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and increased the expression of claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1 in the jejunum, improved the intestinal barrier function, and promoted the absorption of nutrients. FST also inhibited the expression of TLR4, MyD88, p-p65, and p-p38 in the jejunum. The study may lay the foundation for the development of FST as new drugs for intestinal inflammation and injury in enteric pathogen infection.

Quercetin Reduces Inflammation and Protects Gut Microbiota in Broilers

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of quercetin on inflammatory response and intestinal microflora in broiler chicken jejuna. A total of 120 broiler chickens were allocated into 3 groups: saline-challenged broilers fed a basal diet (CTR group), lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged broilers fed a basal diet (L group) and LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg quercetin (LQ group). Our results showed that LPS significantly increased expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, interferon (IFN)-γ, toll-like receptor (TLR)-4, Bax, Caspase-3 and diamine oxidase activity (DAO), and decreased expression of zona occludens-1 (ZO-1), Occludin and Bcl-2 in the jejunum, while dietary quercetin prevented the adverse effects of LPS injection. LPS injection significantly decreased the number of Actinobacteria, Armatimonadetes and Fibrobacteriae at the phylum level when compared to the CTR group. Additionally, at genus level, compared with the CTR group, the abundance of Halomonas, Micromonospora, Nitriliruptor, Peptococcus, Rubellimicrobium, Rubrobacter and Slaclda in L group was significantly decreased, while dietary quercetin restored the numbers of these bacteria. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that dietary quercetin could alleviate inflammatory responses of broiler chickens accompanied by modulating jejunum microflora.