Effects of drinking water supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri, and a mixture of reuterin and microcin J25 on the growth performance, caecal microbiota and selected metabolites of broiler chickens

Abstract

Background Since the overuse of antibiotics in animal production has led to a selection of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that affect humans and animals as well. Scientists are therefore searching for novel natural alternatives to antibiotics. In this study Lactobacillus reuteri and a combination of reuterin and microcin J25 (RJ) were evaluated as promoters of growth and modulators of the cecal microbiota and metabolite profiles in broiler chickens. One-day-old Cobb 500 male broilers were distributed to 8 treatments: negative control (without antibiotic), positive control (bacitracin), three concentrations of RJ and three doses of L. reuteri plus glycerol. The birds (2176, 34 per pen, 8 pens per treatment) were reared for 35 d. Results The body weight of the bacitracin and 5 mmol/L reuterin combined with 0.08 μmol/L microcin J25 (10RJ) treatment group was significantly higher than that of the negative control group (P < 0.05). L. reuteri had no significant effect on broiler growth. MiSeq high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA showed clustering of cecal microbial operational taxonomic unit diversity according to treatment. The influence of bacitracin and 10RJ on bacterial community overall structure was similar. They promoted Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillaceae, increased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium and decreased the abundance of Bacteroides and Alistipes, while the negative control condition favored Bacteroidaceae and Rikenellaceae. Furthermore, 10RJ increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acid in the cecum and changed the metabolome overall. Conclusions These overall suggest that 10RJ can promote a host-friendly gut environment by changing the cecal microbiome and metabolome. This combination of natural antimicrobial agents in the drinking water had a positive effect on broiler growth and may be suitable as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters.

The pearl jubilee of microcin J25: thirty years of research on an exceptional lasso peptide

“…234 Here, especially the abundance of benecial bacteria belonging to Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae families were increased as well as the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids. 234 Similarly, the fecal microbiota composition of mice treated with MccJ25 upon gavage was positively modied with an increase in Bidobacterium counts and a decrease in coliform bacteria, which was again accompanied with an increase in short-chain fatty acids. 233 MccJ25 was also able to reduce the non-infectious intestinal inammation in a mouse model of ulcerative colitis (DSSinduced gut inammation) by regulating the gut microbiota in vivo.…”

“…229 Supplementation of the drinking water with MccJ25 in combination with reuterin, an antibacterial aldehyde produced by probiotic strains of Lactobacillus reuteri, increased the growth performances of broiler chickens to a similar extent than the use of conventional antibiotics as growth promoters. 234 Concomitantly, the fecal microbiota composition of broilers was modulated and improved. 234 Here, especially the abundance of benecial bacteria belonging to Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae families were increased as well as the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids.…”

“…234 Concomitantly, the fecal microbiota composition of broilers was modulated and improved. 234 Here, especially the abundance of benecial bacteria belonging to Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae families were increased as well as the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids. 234 Similarly, the fecal microbiota composition of mice treated with MccJ25 upon gavage was positively modied with an increase in Bidobacterium counts and a decrease in coliform bacteria, which was again accompanied with an increase in short-chain fatty acids.…”

“…229 Supplementation of the drinking water with MccJ25 in combination with reuterin, an antibacterial aldehyde produced by probiotic strains of Lactobacillus reuteri , increased the growth performances of broiler chickens to a similar extent than the use of conventional antibiotics as growth promoters. 234…”

Application of the Reuterin System as Food Preservative or Health-Promoting Agent: A Critical Review

“…Oral administration of the reuterin supernatant altered the fecal microbiome, decreased heptane and increased 3-methylbutanal in the feces of mice, suggesting the high potential of the reuterin system to relieve some diseases caused by the dysbiosis of intestinal flora [ 23 ]. Oral treatment of broilers with water supplemented with a combination of 5 mM 3-HPA and 0.08 mM microcin J25 promoted growth performance and improved health, presumably through alterations in the cecal microbiome and metabolome, indicating the potential of 3-HPA as a growth promoter instead of as an antibiotic in animals [ 95 ]. Das et al [ 96 ] found that 3-HPA effectively ameliorated iron overload diseases via suppressing hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α), a master transcription factor of intestinal iron absorption, using a high-throughput screen of gut microbial metabolites.…”