Effects of Phragmites australis Shoot Remainder Silage on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemical Parameters, and Rumen Microbiota of Beef Cattle

Effects of Italian ryegrass silage-based total mixed ration on rumen fermentation, growth performance, blood metabolites, and bacterial communities of growing Hanwoo heifers

This study utilized Italian ryegrass silage (IRGS) - based total mixed ration (TMR) as feedstuff and evaluated its effects on rumen fermentation, growth performance, blood parameters, and bacterial community in growing Hanwoo heifers. Twenty-seven Hanwoo heifers (body weight [BW], 225.11 ± 10.57 kg) were randomly allocated to three experimental diets. Heifers were fed 1 of 3 treatments as follows: TMR with oat, timothy, and alfalfa hay (CON), TMR with 19% of IRGS (L-IRGS), and TMR with 36% of IRGS (H-IRGS). Feeding high levels of IRGS (H-IRGS) and CON TMR to heifers resulted in a greater molar proportion of propionate in the rumen. The impact of different TMR diets on the BW, average daily gain, dry matter intake, and feed conversion ratio of Hanwoo heifers during the growing period did not differ (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the blood metabolites, total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose, and total cholesterol of the heifers were not affected by the different TMR diets (p > 0.05). In terms of rumen bacterial community composition, 264 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were observed across the three TMR diets with 240, 239, and 220 OTUs in CON, L-IRGS, and H-IRGS, respectively. IRGS-based diets increased the relative abundances of genera belonging to phylum Bacteroidetes but decreased the abundances of genus belonging to phylum Firmicutes compared with the control. Data showed that Bacteroidetes was the most dominant phylum, while Prevotella ruminicola was the dominant species across the three TMR groups. The relative abundance of Ruminococcus bromii in the rumen increased in heifers fed with high inclusion of IRGS in the TMR (H-IRGS TMR). The relative abundance of R. bromii in the rumen significantly increased when heifers were fed H-IRGS TMR while P. ruminicola increased in both L-IRGS and H-IRGS TMR groups. Results from the current study demonstrate that the inclusion of IRGS in the TMR is comparable with the TMR containing high-quality forage (CON). Thus, a high level of IRGS can be used as a replacement forage ingredient in TMR feeding and had a beneficial effect of possibly modulating the rumen bacterial community toward mainly propionate-producing microorganisms.

Effects of dietary supplementation with dandelion tannins or soybean isoflavones on growth performance, antioxidant function, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in Wenchang chickens

Many benefits have been found in supplementing tannins or soybean isoflavones to poultry, including increased body weight gain, antioxidant activity, and better intestinal morphology. However, few studies tested the influence of dandelion tannins or soybean isoflavones supplementation on Wenchang chickens. This study investigates the effects of dietary supplementation with dandelion tannins or soybean isoflavones on the growth performance, antioxidant function, and intestinal health of female Wenchang chickens. A total of 300 chickens were randomly divided into five groups, with six replicates per group and 10 broilers per replicate. The chickens in the control group (Con) were fed a basal diet; the four experimental groups were fed a basal diet with different supplements: 300 mg/kg of dandelion tannin (DT1), 500 mg/kg of dandelion tannin (DT2), 300 mg/kg of soybean isoflavone (SI1), or 500 mg/kg of soybean isoflavone (SI2). The experiment lasted 40 days. The results showed that the final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) were higher in the DT2 and SI1 groups than in the Con group (P < 0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation with dandelion tannin or soybean isoflavone increased the level of serum albumin (P <0.05); the concentrations of serum aspartate aminotransferase and glucose were significantly higher in the SI1 group (P < 0.05) than in the Con group and the concentration of triglycerides in the DT1 group (P < 0.05). The serum catalase (CAT) level was higher in the DT1 and SI1 groups than in the Con group (P < 0.05). The ileum pH value was lower in the DT2 or SI1 group than in the Con group (P < 0.05). The jejunum villus height and mucosal muscularis thickness were increased in the DT2 and SI1 groups (P < 0.05), whereas the jejunum crypt depth was decreased in the DT1 or DT2 group compared to the Con group (P < 0.05). In addition, the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level of zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) in the duodenum of the SI1 group and those of occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1 in the ileum of the DT2 and SI1 groups were upregulated (P < 0.05) compared to the Con group. Moreover, the DT2 and SI1 groups exhibited reduced intestinal microbiota diversity relative to the Con group, as evidenced by decreased Simpson and Shannon indexes. Compared to the Con group, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was lower and that of Barnesiella was higher in the DT2 group (P < 0.05). Overall, dietary supplementation with 500 mg/kg of dandelion tannin or 300 mg/kg of soybean isoflavone improved the growth performance, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant function, and intestinal morphology and modulated the cecal microbiota composition of Wenchang chickens.

Effects of Replacing Alfalfa Hay with Oat Hay in Fermented Total Mixed Ration on Growth Performance and Rumen Microbiota in Lambs

The use of the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) is a promising approach for the preservation of feedstuff, but the effect of FTMR on the between growth performance and ruminal microflora of lambs are still limited. This study aimed to assess the effects of different roughage types in the FTMR on growth performance and rumen microbiota of lambs. Forty-five six-month-old Small tail Han sheep × Ujumqin male lambs were randomly allocated into three groups (three pens per treatment and five lambs per pen) with the initial body weight (BW) of 28.50 ± 1.50 kg. The three treatments were as follows: the low oat percentages group (LO) contained 200 g/kg oat hay + 400 g/kg alfalfa hay, the medium oat percentages group (MO) contained 300 g/kg oat hay + 300 g/kg alfalfa hay, and the high oat percentages group (HO) contained 400 g/kg oat hay + 200 g/kg alfalfa hay. The result revealed that the dry matter intake and average daily gain were markedly (p < 0.05) higher in the MO treatment than in the LO and HO treatments, whereas no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found in the final body weight. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences on the Shannon and Simpson index among the three treatments. The PCoA score plot illustrated the individual separation in the LO, MO, and HO treatments. At the phylum level, the presence of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes belonging to the dominant phyla is widely described in rumen communities among the three treatments. The relative abundances of Prevotella, Fibrobacter, and Succinivibrio in the level of the genes were remarkably higher (p < 0.05) in MO treatment than that in LO and HO treatments, while the relative abundance of Sediminispirochaeta was remarkably higher (p < 0.05) in LO treatment than that in MO and HO treatments. These results indicated that the MO treatments could more effectively improve growth performance than the LO and HO treatments, and also revealed that the different forage types in diets reshaped the compositions and function of the rumen microbiota. Consequently, the findings presented in this study provide a reference for the application of FTMR in animal production and the understanding of the interaction between diet, animal performance, and ruminal microbiota.

Effects of Dietary Fucoidan Supplementation on Serum Biochemical Parameters, Small Intestinal Barrier Function, and Cecal Microbiota of Weaned Goat Kids

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of fucoidan supplementation on serum biochemical parameters, small intestinal barrier function, and cecal microbiota of weaned goat kids. A total of 60 2-month-old weaned castrated male goat kids (Chuanzhong black goat) were used in this 30-day experiment. The goat kids were randomly divided into four groups: a control group (CON) fed the basal diet, and three other groups supplemented with 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% fucoidan in the basal diet (denoted as F1, F2, and F3 groups, respectively). The results indicated that dietary fucoidan supplementation decreased (p < 0.05) the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the content of glucose (GLU) as measured on day 15. As measured on day 30, dietary fucoidan increased (p < 0.05) the content of total protein (TP) and decreased the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and supplementation with 0.3% and 0.5% fucoidan decreased (p < 0.05) the activity of LDH. Dietary fucoidan decreased (p < 0.05) the content of D-lactic acid (D-LA) and the activity of diamine oxidase (DAO). Dietary fucoidan increased (p < 0.05) the activity of catalase (CAT) in the duodenum. Dietary 0.3% and 0.5% fucoidan enhanced (p < 0.05) the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the ileum, the activity of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in the jejunum and ileum, and the activity of CAT in the ileum. Dietary 0.3% and 0.5% fucoidan reduced the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum and the content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the duodenum. Dietary fucoidan increased (p < 0.05) the content of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the duodenum. Supplementation of 0.3% and 0.5% fucoidan upregulated (p < 0.05) the gene expression of ZO-1 and claudin-1 in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, and dietary supplementation of 0.3% and 0.5% fucoidan upregulated (p < 0.05) the gene expression of occludin in the jejunum and ileum. The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing results showed that at the phylum level, dietary fucoidan increased (p < 0.05) the abundance of Bacteroidetes while decreasing (p < 0.05) the abundance of Firmicutes. At the genus level, dietary 0.3% and 0.5% fucoidan increased (p < 0.05) the abundances of Unspecified_Ruminococcaceae, Unspecified_Bacteroidale, Unspecified_Clostridiales, and Akkermansia. In conclusion, dietary fucoidan supplementation had positive effects on intestinal permeability, antioxidant capacity, immunity function, tight junctions, and the cecal microflora balance in weaned goat kids.