Integrated multi-omics reveals the beneficial role of chlorogenic acid in improving the growth performance and immune function of immunologically stressed broilers

Intensive production can cause immunological stress in commercial broilers.Chlorogenic acid(CGA)regulates the intestinal microbiota,barrier function,and immune function in chickens.As complex interrelations regulate the dynamic interplay between gut microbiota,the host,and diverse health outcomes,the aim of this study was to elucidate the immunoregulatory mechanisms of CGA using multiomics approaches.A total of 240 one-day-old male broilers were assigned to a 2×2 factorial design with 2 CGA levels(0 or 500 mg/kg)either with or without dexamethasone(DEX)injection for a 21-day experimental period.Therefore,there were 4 dietary treatments:control,DEX,CGA,and DEX+CGA,with 6 replicates per treatment.CGA supplementation improved(P<0.05)growth performance,jejunal morphology,jejunal barrier function,and immune function in DEX-treated broilers.Moreover,in DEX+CGA-treated broilers,the increase in gut microbiome diversity(P<0.05)was consistent with a change in taxonomic composition,especially in the Clostridiales vadin BB60_group.Additionally,the levels of short-chain fatty acids increased remarkably(P<0.01)after CGA supplementation.This was consistent with the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis results that the“pyruvate fermentation to butanoate”pathway was more enriched(P<0.01)in the DEX+CGA group than in the DEX group.Proteomics revealed that CGA treatment increased the expression of several healthpromoting proteins,thymosin beta(TMSB4X)and legumain(LGMN),which were verified by multiple reaction monitoring.Metabolomics revealed that CGA treatment increased the expression of healthpromoting metabolites(2,4-dihydroxy benzoic acid and homogentisic acid).Proteomic and metabolic analyses showed that CGA treatment regulated the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR)and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)pathways.Western blotting results support these findings.Pearson’s correlation analyses showed correlations(P<0.01)between altered immune function,jejunal barrier function,different microbiota,proteins,and metabolites parameters.Overall,our data indicate that CGA treatment increased growth performance and improved the immunological functions of DEXtreated broilers by regulating gut microbiota and the PPAR and MAPK pathways.The results offer novel insights into a CGA-mediated improvement in immune function and intestinal health.

Effects of Immunological Stress on Immune Response in Different Breeds of Piglets

[ Objective] The research aimed to explore effects of an immunological stress on immune response in different breeds of piglets （ Lulai pig, Laiwu pig and Yorkshire pig）. [Method] All the 12 weaning pigs （Lulai pig, Laiwu pig and Yorkshire pig） weighing （12.6 ±0.5） kg were used in a 2 x3 factorial design. The main factors consisted of immunological challenge （ LPS or saline） and breeds （ Lulai pig, Laiwu pig and Yorkshire pig）. On Day 1, six piglets of each breed were injected with LPS at the usage of 200 μg/kg BW or an equivalent amount of sterile saline, and in jected classical swine fever vaccine at the same time. Blood sample were collected on Day 2, 7 and 14 post injection to analyze the blood lympho cyte proliferation. The levels of antibodies against classical swine fever were tested on Day 1 prior to injection and on Day 7 and 14 post injection. [ Result] On Day 2 after injection, the lymphocyte transformation rate of piglets injected with LPS were significantly （P〈O. 01 ） increased compared with piglets injected with saline. The lymphocyte transformation rate of Laiwu piglets was significant higher than that of Yorkshire piglets （ P 〈 0.05）. Effects of immunological stress on the level of antibodies against classical swine fever were not significantly different among different breeds of pig lets. [ Conclusion] LPS can effectively stimulate cellular immunity response in different breeds of piglets, and the immune response ability is different among various breeds of piglets.

Dietary supplement of selenium-rich yeast may relieve lipopolysaccharide-induced growth depression in piglets via improving immune and antioxidant status

Selenium protects cells from oxidative damage and reduces lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines. Because inflammatory cytokines induce growth depression, we hypothesized that selenium-rich yeast （SeY） would inhibit growth depression caused by LPS. Twenty Meishan weanling pigs [28 （s.d. 2 d）, 7.6 （s.d. 0.3 kg） body weight （BW）] were used in a 2×2 factorial design （n=5）. The main factors were dietary Se sources [selenium-rich yeast （SeY） vs. sodium selenite （SSe）] with supplement level at 0.3 mg Se/kg, and immunological stress （LPS vs. saline）. The experiment lasted for 28 d. On d 14 and d 21, half of pigs in each dietary treatment were intramuscularly injected with either 50 μg/kg BW LPS or an equivalent amount of sterile saline. Blood samples were collected at 3 h post-injection. There were no interactions between dietary Se sources and immunological stress on growth performance. LPS depressed average daily gain （ADG） （d 14-21, P〈0.05; d 21-28, P〈 0.01）, and elevated feed to gain ratio （F/G） （d 21-28, P〈0.05）, while SeY elevated ADG （d 0-14, P〈0.05; d 21-28 and d 0-28, P〈0.01）, and decreased F/G （P〈0.01）. Interactions were observed on interleukin-1β（IL-1β） and interleukin-6 （IL-6） from serum samples of d 14 and d 21 （P〈0.01）, as well as superoxide dismutase （SOD） and insulin like growth factor （IGF-1） of d 21 （P〈0.05）. In conclusion, SeY relieved the growth depression of piglets immunologically stressed by LPS, which maybe resulted from the decreased externalization of inflammatory cytokines and improved antioxidant status.