Dietary Supplementation with Goji Berries (Lycium barbarum) Modulates the Microbiota of Digestive Tract and Caecal Metabolites in Rabbits

Cremonesi, Paola; Curone, Giulio; Biscarini, Filippo; Cotozzolo, Elisa; Menchetti, Laura; Riva, Federica; Marongiu, Maria Laura; Castiglioni, Bianca; Barbato, Olimpia; Munga, Albana; Castrica, Marta; Vigo, D.; Sulce, Majlind; Quattrone, Alda; Agradi, Stella; Brecchia, Gabriele

doi:10.3390/ani12010121

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…In rabbits, this could contribute to the reduction of the use of antibiotics and the improvement in animal welfare as well as the profitability of the farm [ 7 ]. Moreover, rabbits are valid experimental animal models to evaluate the changes induced by the diet in the commensal intestinal bacterial population [ 8 , 9 ], as well as the relationships between nutrition and immunological functions [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], productive [ 13 , 14 , 15 ] and reproductive performances [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Modulates the Intestinal Microbial Community in Rabbits

Agradi

Cremonesi

Menchetti

et al. 2023

Animals

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BC is a nutraceutical that can modulate intestinal microbiota. This study investigates the effects of BC diet supplementation on luminal and mucosa-associated microbiota in the jejunum, caecum, and colon of rabbits. Twenty-one New Zealand White female rabbits were divided into three experimental groups (n = 7) receiving a commercial feed (CTRL group) and the same diet supplemented with 2.5% and 5% BC (2.5% BC and 5% BC groups, respectively), from 35 (weaning) to 90 days of age (slaughtering). At slaughter, the digestive tract was removed from each animal, then both content and mucosa-associated microbiota of jejunum, caecum, and colon were collected and analysed by Next Generation 16SrRNA Gene Sequencing. Significant differences were found in the microbial composition of the three groups (i.e., beta-diversity: p < 0.01), especially in the caecum and colon of the 2.5% BC group. The relative abundance analysis showed that the families most affected by the BC administration were Clostridia UCG-014, Barnesiellaceae, and Eggerthellaceae. A trend was also found for Lachnospiraceae, Akkermansiaceae, and Bacteroidaceae. A functional prediction has revealed several altered pathways in BC groups, with particular reference to amino acids and lactose metabolism. Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio decreased in caecum luminal samples of the 2.5% BC group. These findings suggest that BC supplementation could positively affect the intestinal microbiota. However, further research is needed to establish the optimal administration dose.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Modulates the Intestinal Microbial Community in Rabbits

Agradi

Cremonesi

Menchetti

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…This process not only stimulates intestinal development but also optimizes gut microbiota and intestinal barrier function and even can affect the metabolism of the liver, brain, and muscle tissue, and thus help to accentuate the host's overall nutrient metabolism network, animal behavior, and cognitive level ( 10 , 11 ). Therefore, the nutritional strategy of regulating the fermentation of rabbit cecum through dietary fiber can ensure the healthy development of rabbits ( 12 – 14 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gut Microbiota Modulate Rabbit Meat Quality in Response to Dietary Fiber

et al. 2022

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Antibiotics are widely used in gastrointestinal diseases in meat rabbit breeding, which causes safety problems for meat products. Dietary fiber can regulate the gut microbiota of meat rabbits, but the mechanism of improving meat quality is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding different fiber sources to rabbit diets on the growth performance, gut microbiota composition, and muscle metabolite composition of meat rabbits. A total of 18 New Zealand white rabbits of similar weight (40 ± 1 day old) were randomly assigned to beet pulp treatment (BP), alfalfa meal treatment (AM), and peanut vine treatment (PV). There were 6 repeats in each treatment and all were raised in a single cage. The predictive period was 7 days and the experimental period was 40 days. The results revealed that AM and PV supplementation increased growth performance, slaughter performance, and intestinal development of meat rabbits compared with the BP treatment, and especially the effect of AM treatment was better. The content of butyric acid was increased in PV and AM treatments compared with the BP treatment. The expression of mitochondrial biosynthesis genes of liver, cecum, and muscle showed that AM treatment increased gene expression of CPT1b compared to the BP treatment. In addition, AM and PV treatments significantly increased the microbial diversity and richness compared with BP treatment, and their bacterial community composition was similar, and there were some differences between AM and PV treatments and BP treatment. Metabonomics analysis of muscle showed that AM treatment significantly increased amino acid and fatty acid metabolites compared with BP treatment, which were mainly concentrated in energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid regulation pathways. Furthermore, through correlation analysis, it was found that there was a significant correlation between rumenococci in the cecum and amino acid metabolites in the muscle. Overall, these findings indicate that AM may affect the body's health by changing its gut microbiota, and then improving meat quality, and the intestinal–muscle axis provides a theoretical basis.

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“…A fundamental prerogative of these foods is also in helping to preserve or improve the state of health of individuals [ 8 , 9 ]. In this context, colostrum can be considered an excellent nutraceutical.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Bovine Colostrum Dietary Supplementation on Rabbit Meat Quality

Castrica

Menchetti

Agradi

et al. 2022

Foods

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Bovine colostrum (BC) is rich in nutrients, antimicrobial, and antioxidant factors; for these reasons, it has been used as supplement in animal nutrition. However, its possible effects on meat quality have not been studied yet. Thirty-nine New Zealand White rabbits (n = 13/group) were assigned to three groups and fed until slaughter with a commercial standard diet, control group (C), and C supplemented with 2.5% and 5% (w/w) of BC (BC-2.5 and BC-5 groups, respectively). After slaughtering, the effect of dietary supplementation on microbiological and chemical characteristics of the rabbit loins was evaluated at 48 h postmortem (D0) and after 3 (D3) and 8 (D8) days of refrigerated storage. Results showed no difference in the microbiological parameters. In the supplemented groups, TBARS and TVBN values were lower and higher than in the C group, respectively (p < 0.01), and their fatty-acid profile was increased in SFA and decreased in MUFA (p < 0.05). In conclusion, research must continue to examine in depth the possible effects of BC byproduct reuse in animal nutrition on meat quality (e.g., antioxidant power, and physical and sensory characteristics).

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Dietary Supplementation with Goji Berries (Lycium barbarum) Modulates the Microbiota of Digestive Tract and Caecal Metabolites in Rabbits

Cited by 19 publications

References 66 publications

Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Modulates the Intestinal Microbial Community in Rabbits

Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Modulates the Intestinal Microbial Community in Rabbits

Gut Microbiota Modulate Rabbit Meat Quality in Response to Dietary Fiber

Effect of Bovine Colostrum Dietary Supplementation on Rabbit Meat Quality

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