Lycopene Affects Intestinal Barrier Function and the Gut Microbiota in Weaned Piglets via Antioxidant Signaling Regulation

Abstract

Background In pig production, early and abrupt weaning frequently causes weaning stress, which manifests as oxidative damage, barrier disruption, and digestion and absorption capacity decline. Lycopene exhibits beneficial antioxidant capacity in both humans and other animal models. Objective The present study aimed to investigate the effects of lycopene supplementation on early weaning stress in piglets and the underlying mechanisms by examining the oxidative stress state, gut intestinal barrier function, and the gut microbiota. Methods Twenty-four 21-day-old weaned piglets (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire], castrated males, 5.48 ± 0.10 kg initial body weight) were randomly assigned to two treatments. The piglets were fed a basal diet (control treatment) or a basal diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg lycopene (lycopene treatment) for 28 days. Serum lipid levels, serum and jejunum enzyme activities, jejunum morphology, mRNA and protein expression, and gut microbiota were determined. Results Compared with the control treatment, lycopene supplementation increased serum CAT activity (P = 0.042, 62.0%); serum TC concentration (P = 0.020, 14.1%); and jejunum SOD (P = 0.032, 21.4%) activity, whereas it decreased serum (P = 0.039, 23.0%) and jejunum (P = 0.047, 20.9%) H2O2 concentrations. Additionally, lycopene increased the mRNA and protein expression of NRF2 (214.0%; 102.4%) and CD36 (100.8%; 145.2%) in the jejunum, whereas it decreased those of KEAP1 (55.6%; 39.8%). Lycopene also improved jejunal morphology, increasing the villus height (P = 0.018, 27.5%) and villus/crypt ratio (P < 0.001, 57.9%). Furthermore, it increased the abundance of potentially beneficial bacterial groups, including Phascolarctobacterium and Parasutterella, and decreased that of potentially pathogenic bacterial groups, including Treponema_2 and Prevotellaceae_unclassified. Conclusions Lycopene supplementation strengthens intestinal barrier function and improves the gut microbiota in weaned piglets by regulating intestinal antioxidant signaling.

Microalgae as a Sustainable Source of Antioxidants in Animal Nutrition, Health and Livestock Development

“…Several studies have investigated the relationship between antioxidants and the gut microbiota in animals [76][77][78][79][80][81]. Some studies have suggested that the antioxidants present in microalgae can influence the composition of the gut microbiota [82].…”

Effects of lycopene on the growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens challenged with aflatoxin B1

“…Meng et al. (2022) found that the addition of LYC could upregulate the mRNA levels of Nrf2 and the protein levels of Nrf2 and downregulate the mRNA and protein levels of Keap1. The dietary inclusion of LYC improved antioxidant status by increasing GSH‐Px and GST activities in the serum and liver (El‐Sheshtawy et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2022).…”

“…According to Chen et al (2023), LYC can activate the antioxidant signaling pathway (Keap1/Nrf2) and promote the expression of downstream antioxidant reaction elements. Meng et al (2022) found that the addition of LYC could upregulate the mRNA levels of Nrf2 and the protein levels of Nrf2 and downregulate the mRNA and protein levels of Keap1. The dietary inclusion of LYC improved antioxidant status by increasing GSH-Px and GST activities in the serum and liver (El-Sheshtawy et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2022).…”

Intestinal microflora, body fat profiles and performance of male Tegal duck fed diet supplemented with red tomato extract

“…Lycopene is a potential antioxidant in affecting fat metabolism, also in modulating immune response as indicated by the high SOD and low MDA concentrations (Table 2). The improvement of humoral immunity through the increased SOD and GSH-Px levels due to addition of lycopene was beneficial for broiler (Mezbani et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2022), and for weaning pig (Meng et al, 2022). Therefore, RTE with lycopene content would be also effectively beneficial for ducks because it function as humoral also systemic immunity related to the regulation of fat metabolism.…”