Effects of in ovo delivered xylo- and mannan- oligosaccharides on growth performance, intestinal immunity, cecal short-chain fatty acids, and cecal microbiota of broilers

Abstract

Background This study investigated a novel in ovo feeding strategy to determine the prebiotic effects of xylo- and mannan- oligosaccharides (XOS and MOS) differing in the degree of polymerization. A total of 192 fertilized eggs were divided into 6 treatment groups: i) normal saline control (NSC), ii) xylotriose (XOS3), iii) xylotetraose (XOS4), iv) mannotriose (MOS3), v) mannotetraose (MOS4), and vi) no injection control (NIC), each containing 4 replicate trays with 8 eggs per replicate. On d 17 of incubation, 3 mg of oligosaccharides (except for controls) dissolved in 0.5 mL of 0.85% normal saline were injected into the amnion of Cobb 500 broilers eggs. After hatch, the chicks were raised for 28 d under standard husbandry practices and were fed a commercial broilers diet ad libitum, and samples were collected periodically. Results The hatchability, growth performance, and relative weights of breast, drumstick, liver, and proventriculus were not different among the treatments (P > 0.05). The XOS3 injection increased the total short-chain fatty acid production at d 28 compared with both control groups (P < 0.05). The villus height to crypt depth ratio was significantly higher in the XOS4 group than both controls on the hatch day (P < 0.01) but were not different among any treatments on d 7 and 28 (P > 0.05). On the hatch day, the expression level of the CD3 gene (a T cell marker) was increased by XOS3, while the IL-10 gene (a marker of anti-inflammatory cytokine) was reduced by MOS4 (P < 0.05) compared with both controls. Compared with both controls, XOS3 exhibited a trend of reduction for IL-10 (P = 0.074). No cytokines or lymphocyte markers were affected by the treatments on d 7 (P > 0.05), except XOS4 increased IL-4 compared with NSC (P < 0.05). The broilers in the MOS4 group had higher operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and had more differentially abundant taxa, including order Lactobacillales and family Leuconostocaceae (P < 0.05) than both controls on d 28. The predictive functional profiling indicated that the linoleic acid metabolism pathway was enriched in the cecal microbiota of the XOS3 group compared with both controls (P < 0.05). Conclusion The effects of these XOS and MOS on ileal mucosa and immunity are transient, but the effects on fermentation and cecal microbiota are prolonged, and further research is warranted to determine their use as a gut health promoter in poultry.

Effects of microalgae, with or without xylanase supplementation, on growth performance, organs development, and gut health parameters of broiler chickens

“…For amplification, synthesized cDNA was used as a template. The qPCR amplification condition was set as previously described by Singh et al (2022) . The cycle threshold ( Ct ) value was determined, and the expression of target genes was analyzed using the 2−ΔΔCt method ( Livak and Schmittgen, 2001 ) with reference gene TATA-binding protein ( TBP ).…”

Effect of in ovo feeding of xylobiose and xylotriose on plasma immunoglobulin, cecal metabolites production, microbial ecology, and metabolic pathways in broiler chickens

“…The XOS2 (purity > 95%) and XOS3 (purity > 90%) were sourced from Megazyme International Ireland Ltd., Bray, Ireland. The solution for the in ovo feeding was prepared at a concentration of 6 mg of XOS2 or XOS3 in each mL of 0.85% normal saline, following the same methodology of a previous study that investigated the effects of in ovo xylotriose and xylotetraose [10]. Our study did not include a vehicle control group, such as a saline-injected group.…”

“…Studies have shown that injecting prebiotics in ovo can effectively supplement nutrients to the embryo [4]. Several in ovo studies examined the effects of prebiotics in post-hatch chickens and reported ample advantages emanating from in ovo injection of inulin [7], galactooligosaccharides [8], raffinose-family oligosaccharides [9], xylooligosaccharides (XOS) and mannanoligosaccharides [10], etc.…”

“…Different studies showed that regular dietary supplementation of XOS can effectively feed the gut microbiome and change the gut metabolite composition [12,13], but the effects of in ovo feeding of XOS are yet to be thoroughly understood. Other studies found that in ovo stimulation with bioactive compounds can stimulate the gut microbiota before hatch and lead to regulating cecal microbiota, shortchain fatty acids (SCFA) production, and immunity in adult broilers [10,14,15]. However, there is a scarcity of information regarding the effect of in ovo XOS feeding on inducing changes in post-hatch broiler chickens.…”

Advances in prebiotics for poultry: role of the caeca and oligosaccharides

“…This highlights the potential to use in vitro techniques, as opposed to just livebird trials, to assess the efficacy of oligosaccharide products. Supplementing oligosaccharides into diets has been the most common route of administration, but a study by Singh et al (2022) found that injecting 3 mg of xylotriose into broiler chicken eggs enhanced production of caecal acetate, butyrate, and total SCFA when measured in birds at 28 days of age, compared with the control. These studies highlighted the direct benefits of oligosaccharides on SCFA production and signified the need for research into new techniques and methods for assessing, developing, and administering oligosaccharides to poultry.…”