Soybean β-conglycinin Induces Intestinal Immune Responses in Chicks

Abstract

β-conglycinin from soybean has been recognized as one of the major feed allergens. This study investigated the effects of β-conglycinin-induced allergic sensitization on chicks' small intestines. A total of 40 7-day-old (100 g) chicks were divided into four groups as control, β-conglycinin 1 h, β-conglycinin 6 h, and β-conglycinin 12 h. All treatment groups were administered 60 mg of β-conglycinin/chick and small intestine samples were collected. β-conglycinin-induced allergic sensitization marginally damages the epithelium lining of the duodenum villi and, in addition, significantly increases the accumulation of mast cells in the lamina propria and crypt of the duodenum. Moreover, the TNF-α level significantly increased in all β-conglycinin groups. IL-8 and IL-2 were significantly downregulated in the 1 h group; however, there were increases for the 6 h and 12 h groups. These results suggest that β-conglycinin may lead to an inflammatory response in the chicks' small intestines.

Chicken jejunal microbiota improves growth performance by mitigating intestinal inflammation

“…Conversely, an evidently increased relative mRNA expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β) in the high body weight chicken's jejunum suggested the decreased intestinal inflammation. Mast cells activation involves in the pathogenesis of gut inflammation [65], and its count is remarkably raised in the chicken during intestinal inflammation [66]. A higher number of mast cells during Gram-negative infection in the chicken intestine [67] is consistent with our findings.…”

Identification of epitopes in the α and β subunits of soybean β-conglycinin immunogenic in chickens

“…An increase in broiler carcass weight has been reported for chickens fed fermented or enzymatically digested soybean meal (Kim et al, 2016), suggesting that improved broiler growth performance may be associated with the reduction of allergenic proteins in fermented or enzymatically digested soy proteins in the feed . β-Conglycinin was recently shown to cause an inflammatory response in the small intestine of chicks (Kang et al, 2020). In chickens there are three classes of immunoglobulins (Ig), IgY, IgA and IgM (Lowenthal et al, 2013;Masteller & Thompson, 1994;Tizard, 2002).…”