Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ziting Tang, Gang Shu, Hong Du, Yilei Zheng, Hualin Fu, Wei Zhang, Cheng Lv, Funeng Xu, Haohuan Li, Ping Ouyang, Juchun Lin, Li-Jen Chang, Felix Kwame Amevor, Xiaoling Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the effects of ferulic acid (FA) on intestinal function and microflora in broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results showed that dietary FA supplementation improved intestinal function, preserved secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels, increased expression of tight junction proteins, and enhanced epithelial proliferation in LPS-challenged chickens. Additionally, FA supplementation rectified the disturbances in the ileal microflora caused by LPS. These findings highlight the potential of FA as a protective agent against LPS-induced intestinal damage and dysbiosis in broilers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaobin Wen, Ruqing Zhong, Guoqi Dang, Bing Xia, Weida Wu, Shanlong Tang, Lixin Tang, Lei Liu, Zhengqun Liu, Liang Chen, Hongfu Zhang
Summary: The study suggests that pectin enhances intestinal integrity and barrier function by altering intestinal microbiota composition and their metabolites, which subsequently alleviates intestinal injury and improves the growth performance of piglets.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Guangtian Cao, Shenglan Yang, Huixian Wang, Ruiqiang Zhang, Yanping Wu, Jinsong Liu, Kaifan Qiu, Yingkun Dong, Min Yue
Summary: This study investigated the effects of Bacillus licheniformis (BL) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, ileal morphology, intestinal fecal short-chain fatty acids, and microflora of weaned piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The results showed that BL supplementation improved growth performance, increased serum antioxidant capacity, decreased malondialdehyde concentration, and increased colonic major short-chain fatty acids. Additionally, Prevotella species were found to be the predominant bacteria in piglets treated with BL and CBL. These findings provide theoretical support for the use of dietary probiotics to reduce weaning stress in the sow industry.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Guojun Hou, Minyang Zhang, Jing Wang, Weiyun Zhu
Summary: The study found that chitosan-chelated zinc can help regulate the composition of ileal microbiota, alleviate inflammatory response, and maintain intestinal function in weaned piglets.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Zhentao He, Yaojie Li, Taidi Xiong, Xiaoyan Nie, Huihua Zhang, Cui Zhu
Summary: This study found that dietary supplementation with RES can improve growth performance and antioxidant capacity, and modulate intestinal immunity in yellow-feathered broilers challenged by LPS. These effects may be closely associated with the regulation of gut microbiota community composition.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaobin Wen, Fan Wan, You Wu, Lei Liu, Yueping Liu, Ruqing Zhong, Liang Chen, Hongfu Zhang
Summary: During weaning, piglets are susceptible to intestinal injuries caused by infections. Caffeic acid (CA) shows potential as a dietary supplement for enhancing intestinal health, but limited information is available regarding its benefits for piglets. A 28-day study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of CA supplementation in protecting against intestinal injury induced by LPS injection in piglets.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Xiaoyan Cui, Sheng Zhang, Shouqun Jiang, Zhongyong Gou, Yibing Wang
Summary: The addition of Protocatechuic acid (PCA) in feed has been found to improve gut health in chickens infected with Salmonella typhimurium (ST). PCA enhances body weight, average daily gain, and feed to gain ratio in ST-challenged Yellow broilers. It also reduces intestinal mucosal injury, inflammatory response, and improves the composition of intestinal microbiota.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lingmiao Wen, Wei Xiong, Guihua Wei, Liudai Zhang, Yanjun Liu, Tinglan Zhang, Alvin Altamirano, Qiaozhi Yin, Tiane Zhang, Zhiyong Yan
Summary: Growing evidence suggests a link between gut microbiota and atherosclerosis (AS). This study established an AS rat model through long-term high-fat diet feeding. Pathological and microbiota changes in the rat's ileum and colon were examined, and correlations between AS and gut microbiota were analyzed. The study found varying degrees of pathological damage and microbiota disturbance in the ileum and colon of AS rats. This article contributes to the understanding of the relationship between gut microbiota in different gut segments and AS and provides new approaches to gut microbiota intervention for AS treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Linglian Kong, Zhenhua Wang, Chuanpi Xiao, Qidong Zhu, Zhigang Song
Summary: This study investigated the effects of glycerol monolaurate (GML) on immunological stress and intestinal mucosal injury in broilers. The results showed that dietary GML supplementation increased specific immune markers and improved intestinal damage. Additionally, GML regulated the gut microbiota and activated the AMPK/Nrf2 pathway.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Yang Yu, Qing Li, Xinfu Zeng, Yinglei Xu, Kan Jin, Jinsong Liu, Guangtian Cao
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bacillus coagulans and Lactobacillus plantarum on broilers challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. The results showed that these additives can promote the growth of broilers, improve their immunity and antioxidant capacity, and alleviate the inflammatory response by regulating the intestinal flora.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Michael R. Bedford, Juha H. Apajalahti
Summary: Intestinal health relies on the integrity and functionality of the intestine, which is influenced by the evolution of absorptive capacity and the co-evolution of the intestinal immune systems and microbiota. Nutrient supply plays a crucial role in this process, with age affecting the efficiency of nutrient extraction by the microbiota.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Lei-Zheng Zhang, Jian-Gang Gong, Jia-Hui Li, Yan-Shuang Hao, Hong-Jian Xu, Yan-Ci Liu, Zhi-Hua Feng
Summary: This study demonstrates that resveratrol (RES) has a beneficial effect on broiler chickens challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by alleviating immune function damage, relieving intestinal inflammation and barrier damage, and thus improving growth performance.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Dragana Stanley, Yadav Sharma Bajagai
Summary: The gut colonisation of animals starts immediately after birth or hatch, and the first feed plays a significant role in shaping the intestinal microbial community. The feed can influence colonisation by providing the microbial inoculum and suitable nutrients. Providing access to high-quality feed and an environment enriched with beneficial microorganisms during the early stages is critical for the animal's future health and performance.
Article
Immunology
Grace T. Patterson, Elvia Y. Osorio, Alex Peniche, Sara M. Dann, Erika Cordova, Geoffrey A. Preidis, Ji Ho Suh, Ichiaki Ito, Omar A. Saldarriaga, Michael Loeffelholz, Nadim J. Ajami, Bruno L. Travi, Peter C. Melby
Summary: Acute malnutrition is associated with abnormal development of the intestinal microbiota and dysfunction of the intestinal barrier, resulting in systemic inflammation and endotoxemia.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Xiuying Wang, Kan Xiao, Cheng Yu, Longmei Wang, Tianzeng Liang, Huiling Zhu, Xiao Xu, Yulan Liu
Summary: XOS enhances intestinal mucosal integrity, regulates gene expression, and influences the microbial community structure, inhibiting inflammatory response and beneficially altering microbes and metabolites in the hindgut to protect the intestine from inflammation-related injury.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Stafford Vigors, John O'Doherty, Ruth Rattigan, Torres Sweeney
Summary: Supplementation with laminarin and fucoidan enriched seaweed extracts did not have significant effects on animal performance, but had positive influences on intestinal health through alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiome and increased butyrate production.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Marco Garcia-Vaquero, Gaurav Rajauria, Marta Miranda, Torres Sweeney, Marta Lopez-Alonso, John O'Doherty
Summary: The study aimed to determine the chemical, phytochemical, fatty acid and mineral profiles of three commercially relevant brown macroalgae collected off the west coast of Ireland over two years. Results showed significant variations in these profiles depending on the macroalgal species, season and year of collection. The findings indicate that protein content in the macroalgae was negatively correlated with carbohydrate content, with protein levels peaking in winter and/or spring and decreasing in summer and/or autumn.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
B. Venardou, J. O'Doherty, S. Vigors, C. J. O'Shea, E. J. Burton, M. T. Ryan, T. Sweeney
Summary: The study showed that supplementing broiler chicken feed with 300 ppm laminarin significantly increased final body weight, average daily weight gain, and daily feed intake, while also promoting the relative and absolute abundance of Bifidobacterium in the caecum.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Eadaoin Conway, Torres Sweeney, Alison Dowley, Shane Maher, Gaurav Rajauria, Supriya Yadav, Jude Wilson, William Gabrielli, John V. O'Doherty
Summary: The study found that supplementing weaned pigs with mushroom powder and vitamin D-2 enriched mushroom powder had no significant impact on growth performance and fecal scores within 35 days post-weaning. However, supplementation of mushroom powder and MPD2 resulted in reduced feed intake, while zinc oxide supplementation increased growth rate and feed intake.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANIMAL NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jamie Cafferky, Raquel Cama-Moncunill, Torres Sweeney, Paul Allen, Andrew Cromie, Ruth M. Hamill
Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate the application of Raman spectroscopy in predicting sensory quality in beef. The study found that Raman spectra can accurately predict sensory traits such as tenderness, metallic flavor, fatty after-effect, and juiciness. Mathematical spectral pre-treatments improve the predictive accuracy of the models. This study provides a non-destructive method to calibrate valuable quality traits in beef using Raman spectra collected at a specific time point compatible with meat management systems.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Eadaoin Conway, Torres Sweeney, Alison Dowley, Stafford Vigors, Marion Ryan, Supriya Yadav, Jude Wilson, John O'Doherty
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different selenium inclusion levels on post-weaning growth performance, intestinal health, and antioxidant capacity in pigs. The results showed that supplementation with 0.3 SeMP had positive effects on faecal scores and pig performance in Period 1, while the addition of 0.3 ppm selenite to 0.3 SeMP (0.6 SeMP/Sel) in Period 2 led to enhanced pig performance and gastrointestinal health.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Qiaowei Li, Liyuan Wang, Kai Xing, Yalan Yang, Adeyinka Abiola Adetula, Yuwen Liu, Guoqiang Yi, Hongfu Zhang, Torres Sweeney, Zhonglin Tang
Summary: This study compared the spatio-temporal expression pattern of circRNAs between different adipose deposition breeds in pigs. It identified circRNAs involved in the regulation of adipogenesis and analyzed the interaction between circRNAs and miRNAs. The study revealed important circRNAs and their target genes enriched in fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and Wnt/TGF-beta signaling pathways. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism of circRNAs in pig adipose biology.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Aidan P. Moloney, Shane McGettrick, Peter G. Dunne, Kevin J. Shingfield, Robert Ian Richardson, Frank J. Monahan, Finbar J. Mulligan, Marion Ryan, Torres Sweeney
Summary: Beef contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers with positive effects on human health. Developing a CLA-enriched beef production system and adding CLA to the diet can increase the CLA concentration in beef without negatively affecting its quality and sensory characteristics.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Dillon P. Kiernan, John V. O'Doherty, Torres Sweeney
Summary: The gastrointestinal tract microbiota plays a crucial role in animal health and performance. Modulating the maternal microbiota by supplementing probiotics or synbiotics in the diet can improve the health and development of the offspring. This review discusses the importance and mechanisms of action for maternal probiotic and synbiotic supplementation and summarizes key findings from studies in pigs.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Dillon P. Kiernan, John V. O'Doherty, Torres Sweeney
Summary: Establishing a balanced and diverse microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is crucial for optimizing health and performance in pigs throughout the production cycle. The post-weaning period is a critical phase associated with dysbiosis, intestinal dysfunction, and poor performance. Prebiotics, as a class of bioactive compounds, can be utilized by beneficial microbes in the GIT to enhance their proliferation and production of health-promoting metabolites, while suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria. There are various types of prebiotics, including carbohydrates such as non-digestible oligosaccharides, beta-glucans, resistant starch, and inulin. This review aims to characterize different prebiotics, discuss the concept of stimbiotics, and outline how supplementation of prebiotics at different stages of pig development and production can modulate the GIT microbiota and improve animal health and performance.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Dillon P. Kiernan, John V. O'Doherty, Kathryn Ruth Connolly, Marion Ryan, Torres Sweeney
Summary: This experiment explored the differential expression of key genes within the three glandular regions of the stomach in weaned pigs. Unique gene expression signatures were identified in each region, with a transition region between the cardiac and fundic region clearly identifiable.
VETERINARY SCIENCES
(2023)