Effects of wheat bran in comparison to antibiotics on growth performance, intestinal immunity, barrier function, and microbial composition in broiler chickens

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of wheat bran ( WB ) and antibiotics on growth performance, intestinal immunity, barrier function, and microbial composition in broiler chickens. A total of 168 one-day-old male Arbor Acre chicks were allocated to 3 treatments consisting of 7 replicates with 8 birds per replicate. The 3 treatments were: an antibiotic-free control diet (control, CON), CON + 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline as an antibiotic growth promoter ( AGP ), and CON + 3% WB. Birds fed AGP and WB had greater ( P < 0.05) ADG during days 1 to 21 and lower ( P < 0.05) feed-to-gain ratio during each phase than those fed CON. The WB supplementation reduced ( P < 0.05) serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α and diamine oxidase activity compared with CON on both day 21 and 42. The AGP and WB supplementation decreased ( P < 0.05) interleukin-1β concentration in jejunal mucosa on day 21 and increased ( P < 0.05) secretory immunoglobulin A concentration in jejunal mucosa on day 21 and 42. The relative expression of occludin in jejunal mucosa was upregulated ( P < 0.05) in WB than in CON on day 21. Moreover, both AGP and WB supplementation upregulated ( P < 0.05) the relative expression of zonula occludens-1 in jejunal mucosa on day 21 and 42. The WB supplementation enhanced the α-diversity of cecal microbiota, as evidenced by the increased Shannon index ( P < 0.05). At the phylum level, the phylum Firmicutes was enriched ( P < 0.05) in WB. At the genus level, the WB supplementation enriched ( P < 0.05) Lachnoclostridium and Butyricicoccus . The WB supplementation increased ( P < 0.05) cecal total short chain fatty acids concentrations on day 21 and 42, and butyric acid concentrations on day 42 compared with CON. Collectively, supplementation of 3% WB could promote growth by improving intestinal immunity, barrier function, and microbial composition in broilers. Thus, WB may have a role in replacing antibiotics for improved growth performance and intestinal health in broilers.

Effects of oregano essential oil as an antibiotic growth promoter alternative on growth performance, antioxidant status, and intestinal health of broilers

“…Meanwhile, as a vital index of immune function to some extent, antioxidant function is closely related to immune function ( Min et al., 2016 ). sIgA was secreted by animal plasma cells and was the most prominent antibody presented in mucosal surfaces and protected intestinal mucosa against invading pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract ( Shang et al., 2020 ). However, limited studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of OEO on broiler intestinal mucosa sIgA content.…”

Effects of Wheat Bran and Clostridium butyricum Supplementation on Cecal Microbiota, Short-Chain Fatty Acid Concentration, pH and Histomorphometry in Broiler Chickens

“…Clostridium butyricum seems to be a promising probiotic to provide protection against intestinal infections [11], and some reports show beneficial effects of C. butyricum strains on growth performance, lipid metabolism, immune function and culturable microbiota [12,13]. Although wheat bran and C. butyricum supplementations have been investigated from various aspects in broilers at slaughter age, little information is available on the effects of wheat bran using culture-independent methods [5,[14][15][16]. The information concerning C. butyricum is limited only to culturable microbiota in broiler chickens.…”

4-Phenylbutyric acid accelerates rehabilitation of barrier function in IPEC-J2 cell monolayer model

“…The intestinal barrier acts as the first line of defence against bacteria and virus infections. Numerous studies in the livestock field have demonstrated that growth performance is closely and positively associated with intestinal barrier functions ( Koo et al., 2020 ; Shang et al., 2020 ; Shi et al., 2020 ; Xiang et al., 2020 ), affirming intact intestinal barrier function as a crucial factor determining animals' health and growth performance. Under the severe challenges by in-feed antibiotic prohibition and African swine fever prevalence in China, it is crucial to effectively and at low cost, screen feed additives for protecting the porcine intestinal barrier against various damage induced by adverse factors, such as early weaning stress, mycotoxin-contaminated feed, and pathogens infection.…”