Effect of purified β-glucans derived fromLaminaria digitata,Laminaria hyperboreaandSaccharomyces cerevisiaeon piglet performance, selected bacterial populations, volatile fatty acids and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs

Abstract

b-Glucans have been identified as natural biomolecules with immunomodulatory activity. The first objective of the present study was to compare the effects of purified b-glucans derived from Laminaria digitata, L. hyperborea and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on piglet performance, selected bacterial populations and intestinal volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. The second aim was to compare the gene expression profiles of the markers of pro-and anti-inflammation in both unchallenged and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged ileal and colonic tissues. b-Glucans were included at 250 mg/kg in the diets. The b-glucans derived from L. hyperborea, L. digitata and S. cerevisiae all reduced the Enterobacteriaceae population (P, 0·05) without influencing the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria populations (P.0·05) in the ileum and colon. There was a significant interaction between gastrointestinal region and b-glucan source in the expression of cytokine markers, IL-1a (P,0·001), IL-10 (P,0·05), TNF-a (P, 0·05) and IL-17A (P,0·001). b-Glucans did not stimulate any pro-or anti-inflammatory cytokine markers in the ileal epithelial cells. In contrast, the expression of a panel of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1a, IL-10, TNF-a and IL-17A) was down-regulated in the colon following exposure to b-glucans from all the three sources. However, the data suggest that the soluble b-glucans derived from L. digitata may be acting via a different mechanism from the insoluble b-glucans derived from L. hyperborea and S. cerevisiae, as the VFA profile was different in the L. digitata-treated animals. There was an increase in IL-8 gene expression (P, 0·05) in the gastrointestinal tract from the animals exposed to L. digitata following an LPS ex vivo challenge that was not evident in the other two treatment groups. In conclusion, b-glucans from both seaweed and yeast sources reduce Enterobacteriaceae counts and pro-inflammatory markers in the colon, though the mechanisms of action may be different between the soluble and insoluble fibre sources.

Dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Wall Extract Supplementation Alleviates Oxidative Stress and Modulates Serum Amino Acids Profiles in Weaned Piglets

“…Kogan and Kocher found that SCCWE polysaccharides (mainly β -glucan) can modulate immunity and the absorption of mycotoxin, prevent the adhesion and dissemination of bacteria, and finally improve the health of pigs [10]. Additionally, Sweeney et al showed that oral administration of β -glucans extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae increased the growth performance of piglets [11]. Additionally, Li and Kim reported an increase in BW and feed intake in growing pigs fed with SCCWE, attributed to its beneficial effect on lactic acid bacteria [7].…”

High-value products from macroalgae: the potential uses of the invasive brown seaweed, Sargassum muticum

“…The higher sodium content of seaweed relative to land plants (Philippsen 2013;Ruperez 2002) and limited digestibility of many seaweed proteins and carbohydrates (McHugh 2003) may restrict its use as a feed. A number of substances in seaweed have been found to have animal nutritional and health benefits (Holdt and Kraan 2011;McHugh 2003;Sweeney et al 2012), and seaweed could have considerable further potential for the supply of animal and aquaculture nutritional supplements.…”

“…Successful infection by pathogens depends on subversion of host immune mechanisms that detect cell wall components such as fucans (Berteau and Mulloy 2003) and glucans (Rappleye et al 2007). Glucans from the macroalgae, L. hyperborean and L. digitata as well as those from baker's yeast, S. cerevisiae, are all reported to decrease the number of Enterobacteriacea in pigs (Sweeney et al 2012). The medicinal uses of a number of compounds from marine sources have recently been reviewed: glycans (Pomin 2014), glycolipids (Plouguerné et al 2014) and sulphated polysaccharides and fucoidans (Wijesinghe and Jeon 2012).…”

Seaweeds in Human Health

“…A study compared the effects of purified beta-glucans derived from L. digitata, L. hyperborea, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on piglet performance, selected bacterial populations, and gut short chain fatty acid production (Sweeney et al, 2012). However, all beta-glucans do not act on the same manner.…”