Zinc glycinate alleviates LPS-induced inflammation and intestinal barrier disruption in chicken embryos by regulating zinc homeostasis and TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

The effect of an immune challenge induced by a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure on systemic zinc homeostasis and the modulation of zinc glycinate (Zn-Gly) was investigated using a chicken embryo model. 160 Arbor Acres broiler fertilized eggs were randomly divided into 4 groups: CON (control group, injected with saline), LPS (LPS group, injected with 32 µg of LPS saline solution), Zn-Gly (zinc glycinate group, injected with 80 µg of zinc glycinate saline solution) and Zn-Gly+LPS (zinc glycinate and LPS group, injected with the same content of zinc glycinate and LPS saline solution). Each treatment consisted of eight replicates of five eggs each. An in ovo feeding procedure was performed at 17.5 embryonic day and samples were collected after 12 hours. The results showed that Zn-Gly attenuated the effects of LPS challenge-induced upregulation of pro-inflammatory factor interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) level (P =0.003). The LPS challenge mediated zinc transporter proteins and metallothionein (MT) to regulate systemic zinc homeostasis, with increased expression of the jejunum zinc export gene zinc transporter protein 1 (ZnT-1) and elevated expression of the import genes divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), Zrt- and Irt-like protein 3 (Zip3), Zip8 and Zip14 (P < 0.05). A similar trend could be observed for the zinc transporter genes in the liver, which for ZnT-1 mitigated by Zn-Gly supplementation (P =0.01). Liver MT gene expression was downregulated in response to the LPS challenge (P =0.004). These alterations caused by LPS resulted in decreased serum and liver zinc levels and increased small intestinal, muscle and tibial zinc levels. Zn-Gly reversed the elevated expression of the liver zinc finger protein A20 induced by the LPS challenge (P =0.025), while Zn-Gly reduced the gene expression of the pro-inflammatory factors IL-1ß and IL-6, decreased toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor kappa-B p65 (NF-κB p65) (P < 0.05). Zn-Gly also alleviated the LPS-induced downregulation of the intestinal barrier gene Claudin-1. Thus, LPS exposure prompted the mobilization of zinc transporter proteins and MT to perform the remodeling of systemic zinc homeostasis, Zn-Gly participated in the regulation of zinc homeostasis and inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory factors through the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, attenuating the inflammatory response and intestinal barrier damage caused by an immune challenge.

Dietary 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol and additional vitamin E improve bone development and antioxidant capacity in high-density stocking broilers.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of diets supplemented with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25-(OH)D3] and additional vitamin E on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, bone development, and carcass characteristics at different stocking densities on commercial broiler farms. A total of 118,800 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial treatment consisting of two dietary vitamin levels (5,500 IU vitamin D3 and 60 IU vitamin E: normal diet, using half 25-(OH)D3 as a source of vitamin D3 and an additional 60 IU of vitamin E: 25-(OH)D3+VE diet) and two stocking densities (high density of 20 chickens/m2: HD and 16 chickens/m2: LD). The experiment lasted for 42 d. The results showed that high-density stocking negatively affected the growth performance of broilers during the first four weeks, whereas the vitamin diet treatment significantly improved the feed conversion ratios (FCR) during the last 2 wk. Vitamin diets increased catalase at 14 and 42 d, and the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) levels at 42 d in high-density-stocked broilers. The interaction showed that serum vitamin E levels were significantly improved at 28 d of age in high-density-stocked broilers as a result of the vitamin diets. Stocking density and dietary treatments were found to significantly affect bone development, with the vitamin diet significantly increasing metatarsal length and femoral bone strength in broilers from high-density stocking density at 28 d of age. High stocking density increased the proportion of leg muscles and meat yield per square meter. In general, 25-(OH)D3 and additional vitamin E suppressed oxidative stress and ameliorated the negative effects of high-density stocking on bone development in a commercial chicken farm setting. Vitamin diets improved the FCR of broilers, while high-density stocking resulted in better economic outcomes.

High-density stocking is often associated with animal welfare risks in broilers, mainly in terms of oxidative stress and bone development. Nevertheless, farming at too low a density remains for the most part economically unviable. Modulation of antioxidant capacity and bone development by nutritional strategies in high-density-farmed broilers has proven an effective tool in developing countries. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of applying diets with a higher biological potency of vitamin D3 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25-(OH)D3] and a higher concentration of vitamin E on broiler production performance, antioxidant capacity and meat production performance at different densities of stocking under commercial farming conditions. The results indicated that the vitamin dietary treatments suppressed oxidative stress and ameliorated the negative effects of high-density farming on bone development.

Decreasing the Crystallinity and Degree of Polymerization of Cellulose Increases Its Susceptibility to Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Fermentation by Colon Microbiota.

Cellulose can be isolated from various raw materials and agricultural side streams and might help to reduce the dietary fiber gap in our diets. However, the physiological benefits of cellulose upon ingestion are limited beyond providing fecal bulk. It is barely fermented by the microbiota in the human colon due to its crystalline character and high degree of polymerization. These properties make cellulose inaccessible to microbial cellulolytic enzymes in the colon. In this study, amorphized and depolymerized cellulose samples with an average degree of polymerization of less than 100 anhydroglucose units and a crystallinity index below 30% were made from microcrystalline cellulose using mechanical treatment and acid hydrolysis. This amorphized and depolymerized cellulose showed enhanced digestibility by a cellulase enzyme blend. Furthermore, the samples were fermented more extensively in batch fermentations using pooled human fecal microbiota, with minimal fermentation degrees up to 45% and a more than eight-fold increase in short-chain fatty acid production. While this enhanced fermentation turned out to be highly dependent on the microbial composition of the fecal pool, the potential of engineering cellulose properties to increased physiological benefit was demonstrated.

Macleaya cordata isoquinoline alkaloids attenuate Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal epithelium injury in broiler chickens by co-regulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways.

This study sought to explore the effects and potential mechanisms of dietary supplementation with isoquinoline alkaloids (IA) from Macleaya cordata to alleviate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal epithelium injury in broilers. A total of 486 1-day-old broilers were assigned at random to a control (CON) group, LPS group, and LPS+IA group in a 21-d study. The CON and LPS groups received a basal diet, while the LPS+IA group received a basal diet supplemented with 0.6 mg/kg IA. At 17, 19, and 21 days of age, the LPS and LPS+BP groups were injected intraperitoneally with LPS, and the CON group was intraperitoneally injected equivalent amount of saline solution. The results manifested that LPS injection caused intestinal inflammation and lipid peroxidation, disrupted intestinal barrier and function, and increased the abundance of harmful microorganisms. However, dietary IA supplementation alleviated LPS-induced adverse changes in intestinal morphology, apoptosis, mucosal barrier integrity, cecum microorganisms, and homeostasis disorder by decreasing inflammatory cytokines and enhancing antioxidant-related genes expressions; inhibited LPS-induced increases in TLR4 and NF-κB expressions and decreases in Nrf2 and GPX1 genes expressions. Our findings indicated that Macleaya cordata IA addition attenuated LPS-induced intestinal epithelium injury and disorder of intestinal homeostasis by enhancing the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens possibly via co-regulating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways.