Effects of multi-strain probiotic supplementation on intestinal microbiota, tight junctions, and inflammation in young broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the effects of probiotics on cecal microbiota, gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, and immune response in the cecal tonsil of broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica. Methods: One-day-old broiler chickens (n = 240) were randomly allocated to four treatments: negative control (Cont), multi-strain probiotic-treated group (Pro), Salmonella-infected group (Sal), and multi-strain probiotic-treated and Salmonella-infected group (ProSal). All chickens except those in the Cont and Pro groups were gavaged with 1×10 8 cfu/mL of S. enterica subsp. enterica 4 days after hatching. Results: Our results indicated that body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of birds were significantly reduced (p<0.05) by Salmonella challenge. Chickens challenged with Salmonella decreased cecal microbial diversity. Chickens in the Sal group exhibited abundant Proteobacteria than those in the Cont, Pro, and ProSal groups. Salmonella infection downregulated gene expression of Occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO1), and Mucin 2 in the jejunum and Occludin and Claudin in the ileum. Moreover, the Sal group increased gene expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha factor (LITAF) and reduced levels of transforming growth factor-β4 and IL-10 compared with the other groups (p<0.05). However, chickens receiving probiotic diets increased Lactobacillaceae abundance and reduced Enterobacteriaceae abundance in the ceca. Moreover, supplementation with probiotics increased the mRNA expression of Occludin, ZO1, and Mucin 2 in the ileum (p<0.05). In addition, probiotic supplementation downregulated the mRNA levels of IFN-γ (p<0.05) and LITAF (p = 0.075) and upregulated IL-10 (p = 0.084) expression in the cecal tonsil. Conclusion: The administration of multi-strain probiotics modulated intestinal microbiota, gene expression of tight junction proteins, and immunomodulatory activity in broiler chickens.

Supplementation of probiotics in water beneficial growth performance, carcass traits, immune function, and antioxidant capacity in broiler chickens

“…In the present study, supplementation of L. casei , L. acidophilus , and Bifidobacterium in water reduced the abundance of E. coli and Salmonella and increased the abundance of Lactobacillus . The results were consistent with the findings of other researchers who had observed an improvement in the intestinal microbial population in broilers fed with probiotics [ 29 , 30 ]. In general, supplementation of probiotics in water could ameliorate the structure of the gut microflora.…”

Dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum improves growth performance of broilers by regulating intestinal microbiota and mucosal epithelial cells

“…The TJ complex exhibits a dynamic response to stimuli such as proinflammatory cytokines, LPS or pathogen infection and undergoes constitutive injury and remodeling ( Wageha et al., 2017 ). Probiotics reportedly alleviate the downregulation of intestinal TJP caused by a variety of factors ( Anderson et al., 2010 ; Chang et al., 2019 ; Song et al., 2014 ). The relative expression of TJP (claudins 2, 15, 19, and 23, TJP 1, 2, and 3 and mucin 1) in the cecal mucosa was significantly increased in chickens fed a diet supplemented with C. butyricum ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), but the expression of claudin 20 was significantly lower in the C. butyricum -fed chickens than in the control group ( P = 0.013).…”

Copper/Zinc-Modified Palygorskite Protects Against Salmonella Typhimurium Infection and Modulates the Intestinal Microbiota in Chickens

“…At the genus level, Salmonella challenge significantly decreased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus and Lactobacillus compared with the CON group, which may make it easier for Salmonella to colonize the gut. A previous study reported that Salmonella challenge also decreased the population of Lactobacillus in the ceca ( Chang et al, 2020 ). However, Cu/Zn-Pal-1 supplementation in the CZPS group significantly enhanced the proportion of Ligilactobacillus compared with the SAL group; it seems that Cu/Zn-Pal-1 reduces the S. Typhimurium load in the gut to avoid the effects of Salmonella on these taxa.…”