RESUMO
Plant extracts have shown promise as natural feed additives to improve animal health and growth. Ellagic acid (EA), widely present in various plant tissues, offers diverse biological benefits. However, limited research has explored its effects on ruminants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary addition EA on rumen metabolism, apparent digestibility of nutrients, and growth performance in Kazakh sheep. Ten 5-month-old Kazakh sheep with similar body weight (BW), fitted with rumen fistulas, were randomly assigned to two groups: the CON group (basal diet) and the EA group (basal diet + 30 mg/kg BW EA). The experiment lasted 30 days, and individual growth performance was assessed under identical feeding and management conditions. During the experimental period, rumen fluid, fecal, and blood samples were collected for analysis. The results indicated a trend toward increased average daily gain in the EA group compared to the CON group (p = 0.094). Compared with the CON group, the rumen contents of acetic acid and propionic acid were significantly increased in the EA group and reached the highest value at 2 h to 4 h after feeding (p < 0.05). Moreover, the relative abundances of specific rumen microbiota (Ruminococcaceae, uncultured_rumen_bacterium, unclassified_Prevotella, Bacteroidales, Bacteroidota, Bacteroidia, unclassified_Rikenellaceae, and Prevotella_spBP1_145) at the family and genus levels were significantly higher in the EA group (p < 0.05) compared to the CON group. The EA group exhibited significantly higher dry matter intake (p < 0.05) and increased the digestibility of neutral detergent fiber and ether extract when compared with the CON group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the plasma activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were significantly higher, while malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was significantly lower in the EA group compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 30 mg/kg BW EA in 5-month-old Kazakh sheep increased the dry matter intakQ16e, apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber, and ether extract, as well as the contents of acetic acid and propionic acid in rumen fluid. Moreover, EA supplementation regulated the ruminal microbiota, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and improved daily weight gain.
RESUMO
Many research studies focus on intestinal microbiota-related depression induced by the usage of antibiotics, but the use of antibiotics is fairly different. To construct an effective antibiotic-induced depression mice model and explore the effect of intestinal microbiota in antibiotic-induced depression, we used several kinds of antibiotic mixtures to induce mice depression and used depression-related behavioral tests and neurobiological factors to evaluate the construction of the antibiotic-induced depression mice model. SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the above data, and the optimal model was selected according to the stability of the results and the simplicity of the modeling methods. Metagenomic analysis and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) of intestinal microbiota from antibiotic-induced depression mice were performed to analyze the effect of intestinal microbiota. The results showed that antibiotic mixture A (1.25 µg/mL natamycin, 5 mg/mL neomycin sulfate, and 5 mg/mL bacitracin), antibiotic mixture B (24 mg/mL bacitracin, 24 mg/mL neomycin sulfate, 9.6 mg/mL ampicillin, 4.8 mg/mL meropenem, and 1.47 mg/mL vancomycin), and antibiotic solution D (only containing 5 mg/mL neomycin sulfate) could induce depression-like behavior in mice. By using these antibiotics, the concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in mice hippocampus and prefrontal cortex tissues were significantly decreased. All the above results were consistent with those of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) depression mice. The FMT results showed that fecal microbiota from antibiotic-induced depressed mice transplanted into normal mice (8 weeks-old male C57BL/6J SPF mice) also could induce depression-like behavior and cause similar changes in neurobiological factors. Metagenomic analysis showed that the community structure of microbiota in the intestinal tract of antibiotic-induced depression mice was significantly different from that in control mice, the intestinal microbiota species diversity in antibiotic-induced depression mice was lower, the lipoic acid metabolism pathway was significantly activated, and the abundance of functional gene lipA was explicitly increased. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) further verified the abundance of enriched bacteria in the intestinal microbiota of antibiotic-induced depression mice. In summary, the specific antibiotic mixtures can induce depression by causing changes in intestinal microbiota in mice. Antibiotic-induced depressed mice show differences in intestinal microbiota abundance, high enrichment of the unique metabolic pathway, and the functional gene.