Structural changes in the small intestine of female turkeys receiving a probiotic preparation are dose and region dependent

Abstract

Gut microbiota have been shown to play a critical role in the maintenance of host health. Probiotics, which regulate gut microbiota balance, could serve as an effective alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Since changes in the gastrointestinal tract, caused by a variety of different strains, groups and amounts of microorganisms, may be reflected in its histological structure, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of rising doses of a mixed probiotic preparation on the structure and development of the small intestine of female turkeys. Eighty, three-day-old, healthy, female turkeys (Big-6 breed) were used in the current (16-week) study. The turkeys were randomly allocated to four weight-matched (59.70 ± 0.83 g) groups (n = 20), according to probiotic treatment dose (0, 107 cfu•g−1, 108 cfu•g−1 or 109 cfu•g−1, in 500 g•1000 kg−1) (cfu – a colony-forming unit). Three, non-genetically modified strains of probiotic cultures obtained from poultry, four bacterial and one yeast culture, were used. Histomorphometric analysis of the structure of the small intestinal wall of the duodenum and jejunum was performed. All probiotic doses used in the current study exerted a beneficial effect on the histological structure of the small intestine; however, the observed effect was dose and region dependent. Significant increases in villi height, crypt depth, villi and crypt width, mucosa thickness, epithelial height, enterocyte number, absorption surface and intestinal ganglia geometric indices were observed, specifically in the duodenum of birds receiving an intermediate dose of probiotic (108 cfu•g−1). The probiotic doses used in the current study differed significantly in their effect on the small intestine (P < 0.01), with the intermediate dose (108 cfu•g−1) significantly improving 58% of the parameters assessed, compared to the control. The duodenum was more susceptible to the favourable effects of the probiotic than the jejunum (56% v. 31% improvement in the parameters assessed) (P < 0.01). The weakest favourable effect was observed in the group that received the highest dose of probiotic.

It’s All About Timing: Early Feeding Promotes Intestinal Maturation by Shifting the Ratios of Specialized Epithelial Cells in Chicks

“…Additionally, a growing body of evidence suggests that early feeding strategies can modulate the chick SI microbiota (Rubio, 2019). Since the gut microbiota affects SI structure and function (Dobrowolski et al, 2019), the timing of microbial introduction by external feed may also play a critical role in shaping the SI epithelium. Although previous studies have demonstrated the effect of the timing of first feeding of chicks on growth, nutrient utilization, metabolic pathways, gut integrity, and immunity (Bigot et al, 2003;Bar Shira et al, 2005;de Jong et al, 2017;Hicks et al, 2019;Payne et al, 2019;Proszkowiec-weglarz et al, 2020), no study has shown the effects on crypt and villi epithelial cell sub-types, involved in cellular turnover and intestinal functionality.…”

Modern Hybrid Rye, as an Alternative Energy Source for Broiler Chickens, Improves the Absorption Surface of the Small Intestine Depending on the Intestinal Part and Xylanase Supplementation

“…At the end of the experiment, birds were weighed, and seven representative birds (one per replicate cage with body weight close to the average) from each group were slaughtered by decapitation after electrical stunning, following a 12-h fast. During the necropsy, two 20-mm-long samples of the duodenum (2 cm after stomach), jejunum (from 50% of intestine length) and ileum (2 cm before ceca), were collected and processed for standard histology, as previously described [ 21 , 22 ]. The segments were gently cut open longitudinally along the mesentery line and placed flat (not stretched) into a standard histological cassette.…”

“…Twenty cross sections (with 20 µm intervals between each five-slice section), 5 µm thick, were then cut with a microtome (Microm HM 360, Microm, Walldorf, Germany) from each small intestine paraffin block (80 cross sections/bird/intestine segment in total). The samples were stained with Goldner’s trichrome, and bright field microscopic (two-dimensional) images (magnification ×100, ×200) were taken with a confocal microscope (AXIOVERT 200 M, Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germany) and a color digital camera (AxioCam HRc, Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germany) for histology and histomorphometry analysis of intestine structures [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. For each bird and intestinal segment, 20 cross-sections were selected that showed the course of the sampled intestinal segment and did not duplicate the assessed structures with respect to villi and crypts.…”

“…The multiple measurements were averaged. The following parameters were analyzed: the thickness of the serous membrane (magnification ×200), the outer and inner muscle layer (magnification ×100), the submucosa, the lamina muscularis mucosa (magnification ×200) and the mucosa; crypt width (measured in the middle of the crypt depth) and depth (defined as the depth of the invagination between adjacent villi, from the bottom of the crypt to the base of the villus), as well as villi height (from the tip of the villus to the villus-crypt junction) and width (measured in the middle of the villus height) (magnification 100); (measurements were taken on villi and crypt assemblies) absorption surface area and villus length-to-crypt depth ratio, as previously described [22,24]. Histomorphometry measurements were made with the use of graphic analysis software (ImageJ 1.53, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; available at: http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/index.html, accessed on 20 November 2020).…”

The Effects of Prenatal Supplementation with β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate and/or Alpha-Ketoglutaric Acid on the Development and Maturation of Mink Intestines Are Dependent on the Number of Pregnancies and the Sex of the Offspring

“…Samples of small intestine segments (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) were obtained and processed for histology, as previously described [35,36]. Briefly, 15 mm long segments of the duodenum (2 cm after the stomach), jejunum (from the middle portion of the small intestine) and ileum (4 cm before the ileocolic junction) were collected into a 37 • C saline solution.…”