Effects of xylanase, protease, and xylo-oligosaccharides on growth performance, nutrient utilization, short chain fatty acids, and microbiota in Eimeria-challenged broiler chickens fed high fiber diet.

A 21-d experiment was conducted to study the effect of xylanase, protease, and xylo-oligosaccharides on growth performance, nutrient utilization, gene expression of nutrient transporters, cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and cecal microbiota profile of broilers challenged with mixed Eimeria spp. The study utilized 392 zero-d-old male broiler chicks allocated to 8 treatments in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement, as follows: corn-soybean meal diet with no enzyme (Con); Con plus xylanase alone (XYL); Con plus xylanase combined with protease (XYL + PRO); or Con plus xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS); with or without Eimeria challenge. Diets were based on a high-fiber (100 g/kg soluble fibers and 14 g/kg insoluble fibers) basal diet. At d 15, birds in challenged treatment were gavaged with a solution containing Eimeria maxima, Eimeria acervulina, and Eimeria tenella oocysts. At d 21, birds were sampled. Eimeria depressed (P < 0.01) growth performance and nutrient utilization, whereas supplementation had no effect. There were significant Eimeria × supplementation interactions for the sugar transporters GLUT5 (P = 0.02), SGLT1 (P = 0.01), SGLT4 (P < 0.01), and peptide transporter PepT1 (P < 0.01) in jejunal mucosa. Eimeria challenge increased the expression of GM-CSF2 (P < 0.01) and IL-17 (P = 0.04) but decreased (P = 0.03) IL-1ß expression in the cecal tonsil. Eimeria × supplementation interactions for cecal acetate, butyrate, and total SCFA showed that concentrations increased or tended to be greater in the supplemented treatments, but only in non-challenged birds. Birds challenged with Eimeria spp. had higher concentrations of isobutyrate (P < 0.01), isovalerate (P < 0.01), and valerate (P = 0.02) in cecal content. Eimeria challenge significantly (P < 0.01) decreased the microbial richness and diversity, and increased (P < 0.01) the proportion of Anaerostipes butyraticus, Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, and Lactobacillus pontis. In conclusion, Eimeria infection depressed growth performance, nutrient utilization with regulating nutrient transporters. Furthermore, Eimeria challenge shifted the microbial profile and reduced microbial richness and diversity. On the other hand, enzyme supplementation showed limited benefits, which included increased concentrations of SCFA.

The effects of protease, xylanase, and xylo-oligosaccharides on growth performance, nutrient utilization, short-chain fatty acids, and microbiota in Eimeria-challenged broiler chickens fed low-protein diet.

A total of 392 Cobb 500 off-sex male broiler chicks were used in a 21-day experiment to study the effect of protease, xylanase, and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) on improving growth performance, nutrient utilization (ileal digestibility and total tract retention), gene expression of nutrient transporters, cecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and microbiota profile of broilers challenged with Eimeria spp. Chicks at 0-day old were allocated to 8 treatments in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement: 1) corn-soybean meal diet with no enzyme (Con); 2) Con plus 0.2 g/kg protease alone (PRO); 3) Con plus 0.2 g/kg protease combined with 0.1 g/kg xylanase (PRO + XYL); or 4) Con plus 0.5 g/kg xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS); with or without Eimeria challenge. The 4 diets were formulated to be marginally low in crude protein (183 g/kg). Challenged groups were inoculated with a solution containing E. maxima, E. acervulina, and E. tenella oocysts on d 15. Eimeria depressed (P < 0.01) growth performance and nutrient utilization. Supplemental protease improved (P < 0.05) body weight gain and feed intake in the prechallenge phase (d 0-15) but had no effect during the infection period (d 15-21). There was no interaction between infection and feed supplementation for nutrient utilization. The supplementations of either PRO or XOS alone increased (P < 0.01) total tract retention of Ca and tended (P < 0.1) to improve total tract retention of N, P, AME, and AMEn. Eimeria decreased (P < 0.05) expressions of GLUT2, GLUT5, PepT1, ATP2B1, CaSR, Calbidin D28K, NPT2, and ZnT1 but increased (P < 0.01) expression of GLUT1. XOS supplementation increased (P < 0.05) ATP2B1 expression. Protease decreased (P < 0.05) isobutyrate concentration in unchallenged treatments but not in challenged treatments. Eimeria decreased (P < 0.01) cecal saccharolytic SCFAs acetate and propionate but increased (P < 0.01) branched-chain fatty acid isovalerate. The supplementation of PRO + XYL or XOS increased (P < 0.05) cecal butyrate or decreased cecal isobutyrate concentrations, respectively. PRO + XYL and XOS decreased cecal protein levels in unchallenged birds but not challenged ones. Eimeria challenge significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the microbial richness (Observed features) and diversity (Shannon index and phylogenetic diversity) and changed the microbial composition by reducing the abundance of certain bacteria, such as Ruminococcus torques, and increasing the abundance of others, such as Anaerostipes. In contrast, none of the additives had any significant effect on the cecal microbial composition. In conclusion, PRO or XOS supplementation individually improved nutrient utilization. All the additives decreased the cecal content of branched-chain fatty acids, consistent with decreased cecal N concentration, although the effects were more pronounced in unchallenged birds. In addition, none of the feed additives impacted the Eimeria-induced microbial perturbation.

Autohydrolysis Application on Vine Shoots and Grape Stalks to Obtain Extracts Enriched in Xylo-Oligosaccharides and Phenolic Compounds.

Agronomic practices and the winemaking process lead to the production of considerable quantities of waste and by-products. These are often considered waste with negative effects on environmental sustainability. However, vine shoots and grape stalks can be reused, representing a potential source of xylo-oligosaccharides and polyphenols. In this context, the purpose of this work was to obtain enriched extracts using three different autohydrolysis treatments with (i) H2O, (ii) H2O:EtOH, and (iii) H2O:Amberlyst. The obtained extracts were characterized by their xylo-oligosaccharide and polyphenol profiles using LC-MS techniques. The use of ethanol during autohydrolysis allowed for greater extraction of xylan-class compounds, especially in vine shoot samples, while an increase in antioxidant activity (128.04 and 425.66 µmol TE/g for ABTS and DPPH, respectively) and in total phenol content (90.92 mg GAE/g) was obtained for grape stalks.

The effects of xylo-oligosaccharides on regulating growth performance, nutrient utilization, gene expression of tight junctions, nutrient transporters, and cecal short chain fatty acids profile in Eimeria-challenged broiler chickens.

A 21-d experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) on growth performance, nutrient utilization, gene expression of tight junctions, nutrient transporters, and cecal short chain fatty acids (SCFA) profile of broiler chickens challenged with mixed Eimeria spp. Two hundred fifty-two zero-day-old chicks were allocated to 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (corn-soybean meal diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, or 1.0 g/kg XOS; with or without Eimeria challenge). Challenged groups were inoculated with a solution containing E. maxima, E. acervulina, and E. tenella oocysts on d 15. During the infection period (d 15 to d 21), there was a significant (P < 0.05) Eimeria × XOS interaction for weight gain (WG). XOS significantly (P < 0.05) increased WG in the unchallenged birds but not in the challenged treatments. There was no significant Eimeria × XOS interaction for N and minerals utilization responses. XOS supplementation at 0.5 g/kg tended to alleviate Eimeria-induced depression in apparent ileal digestibility of DM (P = 0.052). Challenged birds had lower (P < 0.01) AME, AMEn, and total retention of N, Ca, and P. Eimeria upregulated (P < 0.01) gene expression of tight junction proteins claudin-1, junctional adhesion molecule-2, and glucose transporter GLUT1; but downregulated (P < 0.01) the peptide transporter PepT1, amino acid transporters rBAT, CAT2, y+LAT2, and zinc transporter ZnT1. XOS alleviated (P < 0.05) Eimeria-induced claudin-1 upregulation. Eimeria decreased (P < 0.05) cecal saccharolytic SCFA acetate, butyrate, and total SCFA, but increased (P < 0.05) branched chain fatty acids isobutyrate and isovalerate. The supplementation of XOS tended to decrease the concentration of isobutyrate (P = 0.08) and isovalerate (P = 0.062). In conclusion, 0.5 g/kg XOS supplementation alleviated depression in growth performance and nutrient utilization from the Eimeria challenge. In addition, supplemental XOS reversed the gene expression changes of claudin-1, also showed the potentials of alleviating the negative cecal fermentation pattern induced by Eimeria infection.

The combined impact of xylo-oligosaccharides and gamma-irradiated astragalus polysaccharides on the immune response, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal microbiota composition of broilers.

The present study investigated the individual and combined effects of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) and gamma-irradiated astragalus polysaccharides (IAPS) on the immune response, antioxidant capacity and intestinal microbiota composition of broiler chickens. A total of 240 newly hatched Ross 308 chicks were randomly allocated into 5 dietary treatments including the basal diet (control), or the basal diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg chlortetracycline (CTC), 100 mg/kg XOS (XOS), 600 mg/kg IAPS (IAPS), and 100 mg/kg XOS + 600 mg/kg IAPS (XOS + IAPS) respectively. The results showed that birds in the control group had lower the thymus index and serum lysozyme activity than those in the other 4 groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, there was an interaction between XOS and IAPS treatments on increasing the serum lysozyme activity (P < 0.05). Birds in the CTC and XOS + IAPS groups had lower serum malondialdehyde concentration and higher serum total antioxidant capacity activity and mucosal interleukin 2 mRNA expression of jejunum than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, birds in the control groups had lower duodenal and jejunal IgA-producing cells number than these in other 4 groups (P < 0.05). As compared with the CTC group, dietary individual XOS or IAPS administration increased duodenal IgA-producing cells number (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was an interaction between XOS and IAPS treatments on increasing duodenal and jejunal IgA-Producing cells numbers (P < 0.05). Dietary CTC administration increased the proportion of Bacteroides, and decreased the proportion of Negativibacillus (P < 0.05). However, dietary XOS + IAPS administration increased Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, the proportion of Ruminococcaceae, as well as decreased the proportion of Barnesiella and Negativibacillus (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the XOS and IAPS combination could improve intestinal mucosal immunity and barrier function of broilers by enhancing cytokine gene expression, IgA-producing cell production and modulates cecal microbiota, and the combination effect of XOS and IAPS is better than that of individual effect of CTC, XOS, or IAPS in the current study.

Boosted growth performance, immunity, antioxidant capacity and disease resistance of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) by single or in combination dietary Bacillus subtilis and xylo-oligosaccharides.

In this study, a total of 420 healthy crucian carp (9.77 ± 0.04 g) were randomly divided into CK, B·S, XOS and B·S + XOS group, and cultured for 8 weeks. Results showed that the dietary Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) can significantly increased the final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, feed efficiency, protein efficiency and survival rate of crucian carp. Dietary B. subtilis and XOS can significantly increased the activities of catalase, glutathione, superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity, significantly decreased the contents of malondialdehyde, and significantly increased the activities of alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, lysozyme and the contents of complement component 3,4 and immunoglobulin M in crucian carp serum. In addition, compared with CK group, the expression levels of TGF-ß and IL-10 in B·S, XOS and B·S + XOS group were significantly increased, and the expression levels of TNF-α, HSP90, IL-1ß, TLR4 and MyD88 were significantly decreased. Supplementation of B. subtilis and XOS can also improve the intestinal tissue morphology of crucian carp. After injection of 1 × 107 CFU/mL Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila), compared with CK group, the survival rates of the B·S group, the XOS group and the B·S + XOS group were increased by 13.98%, 10.56% and 30.74%, respectively. These results show that dietary B. subtilis and XOS can significantly improve the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immunity and resistance to A. hydrophila of crucian carp, and the combined effect is better than that of single addition.

Efficient production of nutraceuticals and lactic acid from lignocellulosic biomass by combining organosolv fractionation with enzymatic/fermentative routes.

The aim of this work was to investigate the use of isobutanol as organic solvent for the efficient delignification and fractionation of beechwood through the OxiOrganosolv process in the absence of any catalyst. The results demonstrate that cellulose-rich solid pulp produced after pretreatment is a source of fermentable sugars that can be easily hydrolyzed and serve as a carbon source in microbial fermentations for the production of omega-3 fatty acids and D-lactic acid. The C5 sugars are recovered in the aqueous liquid fractions and comprise a fraction rich in xylo-oligosaccharides with prebiotic potential. The maximum production of optically pure D-lactic from Lactobacillus delbrueckii sp. bulgaricus reached 51.6 g/L (0.57 g/gbiomass), following a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation strategy. Crypthecodenium cohnii accumulated up to 52.1 wt% lipids with a DHA content of 54.1 %, while up to 43.3 % hemicellulose recovery in form of oligosaccharides was achieved in the liquid fraction.

Effects of graded levels of xylo-oligosaccharides on growth performance, serum parameters, intestinal morphology, and intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOSs) supplementation on growth performance, serum parameters, small intestinal morphology, intestinal mucosal integrity, and immune function in weaned piglets. A total of 240 weaned piglets with an average body weight (BW) of 8.82 ± 0.05 kg (28 d of age) were assigned randomly to four dietary treatments in a 28-d trial, including a control (CON) diet and three diets with XOS supplementation at the concentration of 100 (XOS100), 500 (XOS500), and 1,000 (XOS1000) mg/kg. There were four replicates per treatment with 15 pigs per pen. From day 1 to 14, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake, and gain to feed ratio (G:F) during the different treatments. The different doses of XOSs showed a quadratic effect on BW on day 28, ADG, and G:F on day 1 to 28 of piglets (P < 0.05). From day 15 to 28, ADG of pigs fed the XOS500 diet was higher (P < 0.05) than pigs fed the CON diet. During the overall period (day 1 to 28), pigs fed the XOS500 diet had a higher BW, ADG, and G:F than pigs fed the CON diet (P < 0.05). In addition, compared with the CON group, the XOS500 group had significantly higher serum total antioxidant capacity, total superoxide dismutase and catalase levels, and lower malondialdehyde levels on days 14 and 28 (P < 0.05). The serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration in the XOS500 group was also significantly higher compared with the CON group on days 14 and 28 (P < 0.05). However, serum immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin M were not affected by the dietary treatments. Supplementation of XOS500 to the feed significantly increased the villus height (VH) and VH to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum and ileum in comparison with the CON and XOS1000 groups. Moreover, the XOS500 group significantly elevated the expression levels of occludin and zonula occludens protein-1 in the ileum compared with the CON group. The ileal interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-8, and interferon (IFN)-γ mRNA expression levels in the XOS100 and XOS500 groups were markedly lower than in the CON group. In contrast, the ileal IL-10 mRNA expression levels were remarkably higher in the XOS500 than in the CON group. In conclusion, XOSs have a beneficial effect on growth performance by improving serum antioxidant defense system, serum IgG, small intestinal structure, and intestinal barrier function in weaned piglets.

Combined effects of xylo-oligosaccharides and coated sodium butyrate on growth performance, immune function, and intestinal physical barrier function of broilers.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), coated sodium butyrate (CSB), and their combination on growth performance, immune parameters, and intestinal barrier of broilers. A total of 192 1-day-old chicks were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial design including two dietary additives (0 and 150 mg/kg XOS and 0 and 400 mg/kg CSB). This trial lasted for 42 days. CSB supplementation increased the thymus and bursa index, blood myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and IgG and IgM concentrations, whereas adding XOS only improved IgM concentration (p < .05). A significant interaction was observed for MPO activity. Furthermore, broilers fed CSB and their interaction exhibited increased ileal villus height/crypt depth (VH/CD) and goblet cells numbers in the ileum, as well as decreased ileal CD (p < .05). Broilers fed XOS and CSB individually showed higher ileal VH, the number of goblet cells in the duodenum and jejunum (p < .05). Moreover, XOS and CSB individual supplementation upregulated the expression of claudin3 in the ileum (p < .05). Simultaneously, a significant interaction was found for the ileal expression of claudin3. Overall, XOS and CSB supplementation could improve the development of immune organs, the small intestine morphology, and the intestinal physical barrier of broilers. Although no clear synergy of XOS and CSB was detected, the combination had positively affect broilers intestinal barrier and immune parameters.

Effect of Xylo-Oligosaccharides Supplementation by Drinking Water on the Bone Properties and Related Calcium Transporters in Growing Mice.

Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), non-digestible oligosaccharides, have the potential to regulate intestinal microorganisms, and thus, improve host health, but little evidence exists for the prebiotic effects on bone health. This study evaluates the dose-response effect of XOS supplementation on bone properties, the morphology of the intestine, cecum pH, and cecum wall weight, as well as the related calcium transporters. Ninety-six 28-day-old male mice were randomized into one of four groups, fed the same commercial diet, and given different types of deionized water containing 0, 1, 2, or 4% XOS by concentration for 30 days. Eight mice were randomly selected to accomplish particular tasks every 10 days. No significant differences in serum Ca and P levels and growth performance were observed among the four studied groups. XOS intervention significantly decreased cecum pH and increased cecum wall weight in a dose-dependent manner. At the late growth stage, compared with 0% XOS, the bone mineral density (BMD) and bone-breaking strength in 4% XOS were significantly higher. The bone crystallinity with 4% XOS, measured by Raman spectrum, was significantly enhanced compared to that with 0% XOS during later growth. The villus height and villus height to crypt depth (VH:CD) were enhanced with an increase of XOS concentration during the later stage of growth. The expression of transient receptor potential vanillin receptor 6 (TRPV6) and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger 1 (NCX1) in the duodenum were enhanced by XOS supplementation. XOS exerted a positive influence on bone properties by decreasing the cecum pH, increasing the cecum wall and villus structure, and upregulating the expression of related calcium transporters.

Dietary inclusion of arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides in response to broilers challenged with subclinical necrotic enteritis.

1. This study investigated the prebiotic properties of arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides (AXOS) produced both in situ and in vitro for their activity against the onset of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. 2. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement was applied, including necrotic enteritis challenge (challenged/unchallenged) and three dietary treatments from d 10 to 21. A wheat-soy commercial-type basal-grower diet was fed with 2% of the wheat proportion replaced by the same amount of either arabinoxylan (AX), AXOS produced from hydrolysing AX with 16 000 BXU (birch xylanase unit) xylanase in vitro or AX fed with 16 000 BXU xylanase (AX + E). Necrotic enteritis (NE) challenge was induced by orally infecting birds with a vaccine strain of Eimeria oocysts at d 9 of age followed by oral gavage of a freshly prepared Clostridium perfringens broth at d 14. 3. The challenge depressed growth performance, induced gross lesions and reduced ileal viscosity at d 10-21. Birds fed on the AXOS diet had numerically less severe gross lesions, improved feed conversion at d 0-16 and lower ileal viscosity at d 16 compared to birds fed on AX. Weight gain of the unchallenged birds ranked as follows in terms of the diets: AXOS > AX + E > AX. AX + E produced a lower ileal viscosity compared to the AX treatment but only led to marginal improvements in performance and intestinal lesion scores. 4. Caecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration was higher in birds fed on AXOS and AX + E compared to those fed on AX and was higher in the challenged birds compared to the unchallenged birds. Gizzard pH was lower in birds fed on AX + E compared to those fed on AXOS at d 16. Challenged birds had lower ileum pH compared to the unchallenged birds at d 16 and 21. 5. Results of this study suggest that AXOS appeared to be efficacious prebiotics, as highlighted by improvements in feed conversion ratio and increased SCFA production. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the types of AXOS that are most active against NE and the mechanisms by which different levels of AXOS enhance bird performance.