Fermented Wheat Bran Polysaccharides Intervention Alters Rumen Bacterial Community and Promotes Rumen Development and Growth Performance in Lambs

Abstract

There is growing interest in the utilization of plant polysaccharides for the modulation of the rumen bacterial community and enhancement of growth performance in ruminants. Fermented wheat bran polysaccharides (FWBPs), plant polysaccharides, have been shown to improve the growth performance of lambs, but little is known about their effect on rumen bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of FWBPs supplementation to milk replacer (MR) on the growth performance, blood metabolites, weight and morphology of rumen, rumen fermentation, and rumen bacterial community which were investigated in lambs. Twelve 1.5-month-old crossbred lambs (Dorper × Small-tailed Han Sheep) with an initial body weight (BW) of 11.38 ± 0.19 kg were randomly divided into two groups, namely, the control group and FWBPs group. Compared with the control group, the FWBPs group had a higher average daily weight gain and serum total protein concentrations, and a lower feed: gain ratio. A tendency of increase in final BW and carcass BW was also observed. Administration of FWBPs increased the ruminal papillae width and ruminal butyrate proportion and decreased the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and the proportion of isobutyrate and isovalerate. In addition, the epithelial cell thickness had an increased trend in the FWBPs group. High-throughput sequencing data showed that the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group and Solobacterium was enhanced by FWBP treatment; meanwhile, the relative abundance of NK4A214_group, Megasphaera, and Treponema showed a tendency to be higher than that of the control group. Furthermore, Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that the relative abundances of NK4A214_group, Treponema, and Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group were positively correlated with butyrate proportion. Collectively, FWBPs supplementation to MR on lambs altered the rumen bacterial community, promoted rumen development, and improved growth performance.

Effects of taurine on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestion, rumen bacterial community and metabolomics and nitrogen metabolism in beef steers

“…Supplementing taurine also increased the relative abundances of Ruminococcus , NK4A214_group and Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group at the genus level. It was reported that Ruminococcus , 31 NK4A214_group 32 and Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group 33 have an important impact on the degradation of celluloses in the rumen 34 . The results of the present experiment indicated that supplementing taurine at 20–40 g d −1 tended to increase the DM digestibility and linearly increased the NDF digestibility.…”

Co-fermented broth of forage grasses and Chinese herbal medicines improves rumen fermentation, gastrointestinal development, and microbial community in fattening lambs

“…Early studies have demonstrated that polysaccharide, saponin, or avone supplements in the diet improved the growth performance involving weight gain and feed conversion rate in animals [30][31][32] . Moreover, the bioactive substances would stimulate the development of rumen and alter its microstructure to help digestion 33 . It is well known that rumen development is very important for ruminants, and a well-developed rumen contributes to feed conversion and energy utilization 34 .…”

Deciphering the Impact of Nutrient Composition and Tissue Structure on Rumen Microbiome Dynamics in Roughage Degradation

“…Notably, genera like Ruminococcus, Treponema, Butyrivibrio, and Lanchnospiraceae exhibit significant correlations with the degradation of vital nutritional components, such as CP, NDF, and ADF, across different roughage types. Moreover, specific bacteria like Rikenellaceae and Porphyromonadaceae are linked to particular roughage types, influencing the degradation rates of nutritional components [55]. These insights emphasize the integral role of rumen microorganisms in processing roughage to extract essential nutrients for the host animal [56,57].…”

“…while Treponema and Butyrivibrio participate in volatile fatty acid (VFA) synthesis through metabolic pathways [65]. The degradation rates of nutritional components, such as CP, NDF, and ADF, are significantly associated with Ruminococcus, Treponema, Butyrivibrio, and Lanchnospiraceae.…”