The impact of exogenous dietary nucleotides in ameliorating Clostridium perfringens infection and improving intestinal barriers gene expression in broiler chicken

Teaching the principles of least-cost poultry feed formulation utilizing the Solver function within a computer software workbook

A Microsoft Excel workbook, User-Friendly Feed Formulation with Data from Australia (UffdAu.xlsm), has been developed for teaching feed formulation techniques to tertiary level, university students. It runs under both Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS operating systems. The example ingredient composition matrix is based on the Australian Feed Ingredient Database to illustrate the biological and econometric principles of least-cost feed formulation. The nutrient data are based roughly on recent primary breeder company recommendations. The workbook is easily adapted to appropriate ingredients, nutrients, and prices most relevant to the students, wherever it is used. The workbook uses the linear routines of Excel's Solver add-in under the Data heading in the header Ribbon. There is a worksheet illustrating how to adapt non-linear responses such as exogenous enzymes to typical linear models using a step function. Additional worksheets illustrate how proximate analysis can be interpreted in modern analytical chemistry terms and, how various feed energy measures are related to feed composition. UffdAu.xlsm is available free of charge from the Poultry Hub Australia website (https://www.poultryhub.org).

Impact of dietary-nucleotides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derivatives on growth-performance, antioxidant-capacity, immune-response, small-intestine histomorphometry, caecal-Clostridia, and litter-hygiene of broiler-chickens treated with florfenicol

Stress in poultry production is energy-demanding. Nucleotides and yeast cell-wall products are essential nutrients for broiler performance, gut function, and immune response. Antibiotics, like florfenicol, negatively affect the immune system. A total of 600 one-d-old broiler chickens (Cobb-500) were weighed and randomly allotted into four groups with three replicates each. The control group (G1) received the basal diet, G2 received a diet supplemented with a combination of nucleotides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae derivatives (250 g/Ton), G3 received the basal diet and medicated with florfenicol (25 mg/Kg body weight) in drinking water for 5 days, while G4 received a combination of nucleotides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derivatives (250 g/Ton) and medicated with florfenicol in drinking water. Growth performance criteria were recorded weekly. Blood, intestinal contents, small-intestine sections, and litter samples were collected to measure birds' performance, carcass yields, leukocytic counts, antioxidant capacity, antibody titres, phagocytic index, caecal Clostridia, intestinal histomorphometry, and litter hygiene. Nucleotide-supplemented groups (G2 and G4) revealed significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvements in feed conversion, and body weight, but not for carcass yields in comparison to the control. Dietary nucleotides in G2 elevated blood total proteins, leucocytic count, antioxidant capacity, and phagocytic index, while they lowered blood lipids and litter moisture and nitrogen (p ≤ 0.05). Dietary nucleotides in G4 ameliorated the immunosuppressive effect of florfenicol (p ≤ 0.05) indicated in reducing caecal Clostridia, improving duodenal and ileal villi length, and increasing blood albumin and globulin levels, and phagocytosis%. Supplementing diets with nucleotides and yeast products has improved the immune system and provided a healthier gut for broilers.

Use of a commercial feed supplement based on yeast products and microalgae with or without nucleotide addition in calves

The use of feed additives with antioxidant and immune response modulatory activity could be a useful strategy in suckling calves to reduce morbidity and mortality. This strategy is based on several feed additives tested for these purposes. The aim of the paper is the examination of a commercial feed additive for adult cows for use in calves, with and without nucleotide supplementation. Seventy-five Holstein Friesian male calves were divided in 3 groups, with each calf randomly assigned to a group according to birth order. All calves received 2 L of pooled colostrum within 2 h of birth. The commercial feed supplement group was orally administered with 5 g/head of Decosel (dried brewer's yeast lysate (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), brewer's yeast walls (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), diatoms, spirulina, barley flour, calcium carbonate; Agroteam srl, Torrimpietra, Italy) and the nucleotides + commercial feed supplement group was orally administered with 5 g/head of an additive containing 2.5 g of Decosel and 2.5 g of nucleotides once daily from birth to 25 d. The control group was orally administered 20 mL of fresh water/head once daily. Calves that received the supplement and the nucleotides showed lower rates of protein and metabolizable energy conversion, with longer villi and greater crypt depth in duodenum. Moreover, the commercial feed supplement alone increased antioxidant capacity [2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power] in plasma some activity of antioxidant liver enzymes, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell viability after in vitro concanavalin A and H₂O₂ stimuli. Dietary supplementation with a commercial feed supplement containing yeast products (yeast cell walls and hydrolyzed yeast) and microalgae enhanced the redox balance and gut morphology in calves, allowing calves to improve their immune response, increasing resistance to stress. Moreover, these beneficial effects were strongly potentiated when dietary nucleotides were added to the supplement.

Differential colitis susceptibility of Th1- and Th2-biased mice: A multi-omics approach

The health and economic burden of colitis is increasing globally. Understanding the role of host genetics and metagenomics is essential to establish the molecular basis of colitis pathogenesis. In the present study, we have used a common composite dose of DSS to compare the differential disease severity response in C57BL/6 (Th1 biased) and BALB/c (Th2 biased) mice with zero mortality rates. We employed multi-omics approaches and developed a newer vector analysis approach to understand the molecular basis of the disease pathogenesis. In the current report, comparative transcriptomics, metabonomics, and metagenomics analyses revealed that the Th1 background of C57BL/6 induced intense inflammatory responses throughout the treatment period. On the contrary, the Th2 background of BALB/c resisted severe inflammatory responses by modulating the host’s inflammatory, metabolic, and gut microbial profile. The multi-omics approach also helped us discover some unique metabolic and microbial markers associated with the disease severity. These biomarkers could be used in diagnostics.

Nutritional Modulation of the Immune Response Mediated by Nucleotides in Canine Leishmaniosis

Leishmaniasis is an emerging, uncontrolled, and neglected zoonotic disease. Climate change is contributing to its ongoing global expansion. The dog is the main reservoir; hence the importance of implementing effective treatment, prevention, and control measures in this animal species to protect public health. However, although the standard treatment for canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is effective, it does not provide full parasitological clearance, and side effects and drug resistance have been described. The host's immune system plays a key role in the establishment and evolution of leishmaniasis. Dietary nucleotides modulate the immune response and, given their reported efficacy and safety in sick and clinically healthy Leishmania-infected dogs and because they represent a sustainable option with no associated side effects or resistance, they could be included within the prevention, treatment, and control strategies for leishmaniasis. This article briefly summarizes the scientific literature on CanL management, including unresolved issues, and reviews the scientific evidence on immunomodulatory effects of dietary nucleotides in different animal species. It also proposes a CanL management algorithm, including nucleotides. It is concluded that nutritional modulation of the immune response with nucleotides can contribute to better management of leishmaniasis following a One Health approach, especially in the COVID-19 era.

RNA form baker's yeast cultured with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modulates gene transcription in an intestinal epithelial cell model, RTgutGC from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The objective of this study was to evaluate if the intestinal RTgutGC cell line could be suitable for research on dietary ingredients and their function as modulators of inflammation during lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced stress. The RTgutGC cells cultured together with RNA from baker's yeast, reached confluency after 72 h. The cells were grown in either compete L-15 (CM) or nutrient deprived L-15 (DM). Then, the RTgutGC cells were exposed to LPS or RNA from baker's yeast, either alone, or in combination, in CM or DM. All cultures were harvested following LPS challenge for 48 h and 72 h. LPS induced transcription of Interleukin 1β (IL-1β), Interleukin -8 (IL-8), Toll like receptor 3 (TLR3), interferon regulating factor 3 (irf3), Nuclear factor ĸβ (NFĸβ), one of the multidrug transporters, ABCC2, and glutamine synthase 1 (GLS01) in RTgutGC cells at one or both sampling points (48 h and/or 72 h post LPS challenge). RNA from baker's yeast in culture alone, (cultured 120 h and 144 h with RTgutGC cells and harvested at the respective LPS sampling points) induced transcription of INF1, TNFα and ticam/trif, not induced by LPS. In addition, RNA from baker's yeast affected IL-1β, TLR3, irf3 and NFĸβ, comparable to the responses triggered by LPS. RNA from baker's yeast alone did not affect ABCC2 or GLS01 transcriptions in this set up. So, LPS and RNA from baker's yeast affects distinct but also common gene transcripts in this intestinal cell line. Culturing RTgutGC cells in DM, adding a combination of LPS and RNA from baker's yeast, reduced IL-1β transcription compared to cells grown in CM, 48 h and 72 h post LPS challenge. Also, in RTgutGC cells, grown in DM, the LPS induced transcription of ABCC2 declined, measured 48 h post LPS challenge. Possibly indicating that optimal transcription of IL-1β and ABBC2 in RTgutGC cells, cultured over time, requires access of adequate nutrients under stressful condition. RNA from baker's yeast induced INF1 transcription in the RTgutGC cells, regardless if the medium was complete or deprived of nutrients. However, culturing RTgutGC cells in DM enriched with RNA from baker's yeast for a longer period of time (120 h, 144 h), seemed beneficial for INF1 transcription.

Transversal gene expression panel to evaluate intestinal health in broiler chickens in different challenging conditions

There is a high interest on gut health in poultry with special focus on consequences of the intestinal diseases, such as coccidiosis and C. perfringens-induced necrotic enteritis (NE). We developed a custom gene expression panel, which could provide a snapshot of gene expression variation under challenging conditions. Ileum gene expression studies were performed through high throughput reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. A deep review on the bibliography was done and genes related to intestinal health were selected for barrier function, immune response, oxidation, digestive hormones, nutrient transport, and metabolism. The panel was firstly tested by using a nutritional/Clostridium perfringens model of intestinal barrier failure (induced using commercial reused litter and wheat-based diets without exogenous supplementation of enzymes) and the consistency of results was evaluated by another experiment under a coccidiosis challenge (orally gavaged with a commercial coccidiosis vaccine, 90× vaccine dose). Growth traits and intestinal morphological analysis were performed to check the gut barrier failure occurrence. Results of ileum gene expression showed a higher expression in genes involved in barrier function and nutrient transport in chickens raised in healthy conditions, while genes involved in immune response presented higher expression in C.perfringens-challenged birds. On the other hand, the Eimeria challenge also altered the expression of genes related to barrier function and metabolism, and increased the expression of genes related to immune response and oxidative stress. The panel developed in the current study gives us an overview of genes and pathways involved in broiler response to pathogen challenge. It also allows us to deep into the study of differences in gene expression pattern and magnitude of responses under either a coccidial vaccine or a NE.