No abstract

Scope: Clostridium butyricum (CB) exerts beneficial actions in several disorders. However, the impact and molecular cues of CB in fat metabolism remain elusive. This study demonstrates the CB inhibition of fat deposition by increasing the relative number of adipose tissue-resident Treg cells (aTregs). Methods and Results: CB is administered orally to wild type (WT) mice fed with chow diet, which decrease fat deposition and adipogenic gene expression, associating with elevated serum levels of butyrate. Sodium butyrate (SB) feeding mimics the CB suppression of fat accumulation. Of note, the frequency of aTregs in both the CB and SB treatments, analyzed by flow cytometry, is markedly increased, accompanied by activated Wnt10b expression in white adipose tissues. However, CB and SB fail to inhibit fat deposition in Wnt10b-KO mice. Intriguingly, CB and SB are able to alleviate the obesity, fatty liver, and glucose abnormalities in high fat diet (HFD)-fed WT mice. Conclusions: These findings suggest that CB, through its metabolite butyrate, inhibits fat deposition via potentiating aTreg cell generation, and support the option of CB and SB for therapeutic interventions in obesity and related disorders.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of calcium propionate and calcium butyrate on the laying performance, eggshell quality, and expression of genes related to calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the tibia.One hundred and twenty 70-week-old Isa Brown hens were randomly assigned to three treatments, and each treatment had four replicates of 10 birds fed a basal diet (control) or a basal diet supplemented with 0.5% calcium propionate (CP) or 0.5% calcium butyrate (CB) for 8 weeks. The CB and CP treatments had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the laying rate, egg production, egg weight, and feed efficiency.The eggshell percentage was increased from week 2 (P<0.05) and eggshell thickness was elevated at week 8 (P<0.01) by both CP and CB treatments. Compared to the control treatment, the CB treatment increased serum calcium and phosphorus levels at week 4 (P<0.05), whereas the CP and CB treatments decreased serum phosphorus at weeks 6 and 8, respectively (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation had no effect on the bone index and bending strength of the tibia (P>0.05). The calcium and phosphorus content of the tibia was decreased by the CB treatment (P<0.05). In the spleen, NF-B and IL-6 transcript levels were not influenced (P>0.05) but TNF-α transcript levels were decreased by the CP treatment (P<0.05). In the tibia, the expression levels of NF-B, TNF-α, and IL-17 were not affected by the CP or CB treatment (P>0.05). The CP and CB treatments had no significant effect on the transcript levels of RANKL, OPG, RNUX2, OPN, and VDR (P>0.05). In contrast, PHEX transcript levels were increased by the CP treatment (P<0.05). The expression levels of osteocalcin (P=0.094) and FGF23 (P=0.087) tended to decrease under the CB treatment. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 0.5% calcium butyrate or 0.5% calcium propionate improved the eggshell quality of aged laying hens, possibly as a result of decreased deposition or enhanced mobilization of bone calcium and phosphorus.

In poultry production, vaccination is an effective measure to protect chickens from diseases. Vaccination, however, is a stressor that may induce stress responses that interfere with the growth and development of chickens. The interaction between the skeletal and immune systems on bone quality has gained more attention. In the present study, the influence of high frequency vaccinations on the bone development of layer pullets was investigated. Thirty 35-day-old SPF White Leghorn layer pullets were obtained and randomly subjected to the following treatments: vaccinated against Newcastle disease ( ND ) with LoSota vaccine once at 35-day-old (V1, control); 4 times at 35, 49, 63, and 77 d of age (V4); and 7 times at 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, and 77 d of age (V7). The body weight and organ index of the spleen, thymus, and tibia were recorded. The antibody titer and serum and the tibia calcium and phosphorus concentrations were measured. The transcription levels of the IL-6, IL-17, TNF-α, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand ( RANKL ), and osteoprotegerin ( OPG ) genes were determined in spleen, thymus, and the tibia. The results showed that V7 decreased body weight and increased the ND antibody titer, compared to V1-chickens. The expression levels of IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α were upregulated in spleen, thymus, and the tibia of V7 chickens. In the tibia, RANKL was upregulated, while OPG was downregulated by V7 treatment. The results indicate that high frequency vaccination induces immune stress and impairs bone development. The results suggest that the augmented cytokine expression in immune organs and the tibia is associated with activation of the OPG/RANKL pathway, which, in turn, enhances osteoclastogenesis. The appropriate frequency of vaccination should support optimal bone development and full immunoprotection in layer pullets.

No abstract