Effect of prebiotic oligosaccharides on gut health and performance of chickens

Interest in prebiotics and their potential application for human and animal health is flourishing. Here, the effects of galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) on the performance and health of chickens, with the potential for human applications was evaluated. Following a review of the poultry meat industry from economic and animal welfare standpoints, the outcomes of GOS feedstuff on the gut health and immune function of broiler chickens were evaluated. First, the effects of in-feed inclusion of GOS on broiler chicken performance and intestinal immune status were assessed in the absence of intestinal challenge. The GOS diet was shown to modulate the juvenile gut microbiome and innate immunity to increase weight gain and reduce the cumulative feed conversion ratio. GOS-associated activation of mucosal Th17 immune response at a young age was accompanied with a shift in the microbiota composition promoting one member of autochthonous Lactobacillus spp at the expense of another. The cecal abundance of immuno-modulatory L. johnsonii was shown to increase on the GOS diet and positively correlate with bird growth weight at 35 days of age. The impact of GOS was further assessed upon bacterial challenge with the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. C. jejuni challenge effects on birds maintained on a normal diet were first characterised. The study identified age-dependent differences in the kinetics of cecal colonisation, microbiome compositional shifts, and Th 17 induced intestinal immune responses. Upon C. jejuni challenge, broilers maintained on a GOS diet continued to exhibit the growth advantage. Despite successful cecal colonisation by C. jejuni, GOS selectively induced microbiota shifts associated with Th17 induction. Due to limited evidence of the direct impact of dietary fibres on the intestinal barrier, the effects of GOS and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on the transcriptome of polarised human colonic epithelial cells were evaluated. Both oligosaccharides improved epithelial tight junctions as indicated by increases in trans-epithelial resistance. However, the effects of FOS on the transcriptome were reduced when compared to GOS. Our strategy produced a comprehensive curated gene expression database that will permit further work to link gene expression signatures of cultured cells to their mode of action, thus potentially facilitating product choices in human or animal intervention studies

Galacto-Oligosaccharides Modulate the Juvenile Gut Microbiome and Innate Immunity To Improve Broiler Chicken Performance

Copyright © 2020 Richards et al Improvements in growth performance and health are key goals in broiler chicken production. Inclusion of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) in broiler feed enhanced the growth rate and feed conversion of chickens relative to those obtained with a calorie-matched control diet. Comparison of the cecal microbiota identified key differences in abundances of Lactobacillus spp. Increased levels of Lactobacillus johnsonii in GOS-fed juvenile birds at the expense of Lactobacillus crispatus were linked to improved performance (growth rate and market weight). Investigation of the innate immune responses highlighted increases of ileal and cecal interleukin-17A (IL-17A) gene expression counterposed to a decrease in IL-10. Quantification of the autochthonous Lactobacillus spp. revealed a correlation between bird performance and L. johnsonii abundance. Shifts in the cecal populations of key Lactobacillus spp. of juvenile birds primed intestinal innate immunity without harmful pathogen challenge. IMPORTANCE Improvements in the growth rate of broiler chickens can be achieved through dietary manipulation of the naturally occurring bacterial populations while mitigating the withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters. Prebiotic galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are manufactured as a by-product of dairy cheese production and can be incorporated into the diets of juvenile chickens to improve their health and performance. This study investigated the key mechanisms behind this progression and pinpointed L. johnsonii as a key species that facilitates the enhancements in growth rate and gut health. The study identified the relationships between the GOS diet, L. johnsonii intestinal populations, and cytokine immune effectors to improve growth

Prebiotic Driven Increases in IL-17A Do Not Prevent Campylobacter jejuni Colonization of Chickens

© Copyright © 2020 Flaujac Lafontaine, Richards, Connerton, O’Kane, Ghaffar, Cummings, Fish and Connerton. Worldwide Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne disease. Contamination of chicken meat with digesta from C. jejuni-positive birds during slaughter and processing is a key route of transmission to humans through the food chain. Colonization of chickens with C. jejuni elicits host innate immune responses that may be modulated by dietary additives to provide a reduction in the number of campylobacters colonizing the gastrointestinal tract and thereby reduce the likelihood of human exposure to an infectious dose. Here we report the effects of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) on broiler chickens colonized with C. jejuni when challenged at either an early stage in development at 6 days of age or 20 days old when campylobacters are frequently detected in commercial flocks. GOS-fed birds had increased growth performance, but the levels of C. jejuni colonizing the cecal pouches were unchanged irrespective of the age of challenge. Dietary GOS modulated the immune response to C. jejuni by increasing cytokine IL-17A expression at colonization. Correspondingly, reduced diversity of the cecal microbiota was associated with Campylobacter colonization in GOS-fed birds. In birds challenged at 6 days-old the reduction in microbial diversity was accompanied by an increase in the relative abundance of Escherichia spp. Whilst immuno-modulation of the Th17 pro-inflammatory response did not prevent C. jejuni colonization of the intestinal tract of broiler chickens, the study highlights the potential for combinations of prebiotics, and specific competitors (synbiotics) to engage with the host innate immunity to reduce pathogen burdens

Effect of prebiotic oligosaccharides on gut health and performance of chickens

Interest in prebiotics and their potential application for human and animal health is flourishing. Here, the effects of galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) on the performance and health of chickens, with the potential for human applications was evaluated. Following a review of the poultry meat industry from economic and animal welfare standpoints, the outcomes of GOS feedstuff on the gut health and immune function of broiler chickens were evaluated. First, the effects of in-feed inclusion of GOS on broiler chicken performance and intestinal immune status were assessed in the absence of intestinal challenge. The GOS diet was shown to modulate the juvenile gut microbiome and innate immunity to increase weight gain and reduce the cumulative feed conversion ratio. GOS-associated activation of mucosal Th17 immune response at a young age was accompanied with a shift in the microbiota composition promoting one member of autochthonous Lactobacillus spp at the expense of another. The cecal abundance of immuno-modulatory L. johnsonii was shown to increase on the GOS diet and positively correlate with bird growth weight at 35 days of age. The impact of GOS was further assessed upon bacterial challenge with the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni. C. jejuni challenge effects on birds maintained on a normal diet were first characterised. The study identified age-dependent differences in the kinetics of cecal colonisation, microbiome compositional shifts, and Th 17 induced intestinal immune responses. Upon C. jejuni challenge, broilers maintained on a GOS diet continued to exhibit the growth advantage. Despite successful cecal colonisation by C. jejuni, GOS selectively induced microbiota shifts associated with Th17 induction. Due to limited evidence of the direct impact of dietary fibres on the intestinal barrier, the effects of GOS and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on the transcriptome of polarised human colonic epithelial cells were evaluated. Both oligosaccharides improved epithelial tight junctions as indicated by increases in trans-epithelial resistance. However, the effects of FOS on the transcriptome were reduced when compared to GOS. Our strategy produced a comprehensive curated gene expression database that will permit further work to link gene expression signatures of cultured cells to their mode of action, thus potentially facilitating product choices in human or animal intervention studies

In Vitro Evaluation of the Effects of Commercial Prebiotic GOS and FOS Products on Human Colonic Caco–2 Cells

Prebiotic oligosaccharides are widely used as human and animal feed additives for their beneficial effects on the gut microbiota. However, there are limited data to assess the direct effect of such functional foods on the transcriptome of intestinal epithelial cells. The purpose of this study is to describe the differential transcriptomes and cellular pathways of colonic cells directly exposed to galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). We have examined the differential gene expression of polarized Caco–2 cells treated with GOS or FOS products and their respective mock-treated cells using mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 89 significant differentially expressed genes were identified between GOS and mock-treated groups. For FOS treatment, a reduced number of 12 significant genes were observed to be differentially expressed relative to the control group. KEGG and gene ontology functional analysis revealed that genes up-regulated in the presence of GOS were involved in digestion and absorption processes, fatty acids and steroids metabolism, potential antimicrobial proteins, energy-dependent and -independent transmembrane trafficking of solutes and amino acids. Using our data, we have established complementary non-prebiotic modes of action for these frequently used dietary fibers