Bamboo leaf flavone changed the community of cecum microbiota and improved the immune function in broilers

Abstract

It has been shown that bamboo leaf flavone (BLF) displays biological and pharmacological activities in mammals. However, the effects of BLF on broiler gut microbiota and related immune function have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to test our hypothesis that BLF can improve the health status of broilers by modulating the gut microbiota. A total of 300 one-day-old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were used to characterize their gut microbiota and immune status after feeding diet supplemented with BLF. The V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene from cecal bacteria was sequenced via the Illumina MiSeq platform. The Immune status and related parameters were assessed, including the immune organ index (the spleen, thymus, and bursa), serum concentrations of IL-2 and INF-γ, and spleen IL-2 and INF-γ gene expressions. The results showed the BLF diet had an Immune enhancement effect on broilers. In addition, BFL caused the changes of the gut microbial community structure, resulting in greater proportions of bacterial taxa belonging to Lactobacillus, Clostridiales, Ruminococcus, and Lachnospiraceae. These bacteria have been used as probiotics for producing short chain fatty acids in hosts. These results indicate that BLF supplement improves immune function in chicken via modulation of the gut microbiota. Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds that ubiquitously present in plants. Flavonoid-rich foods and flavonoid supplements have been found to modulate immune function by inducing cytoprotective effects 1 , restoring lymphocyte proliferation 2 , and preventing cells apoptosis in mammals 3. The flavonoid extracted from bamboo leaves (so-called bamboo leaf flavone, BLF), mainly including orientin, homoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin 4 , have been confirmed to have multiple biological activities, such as scavenging oxygen radicals 5 , enhancing immunity 6 , and possessing anticancer 7 , antibacterial 8 , antiviral 9 , and antioxidant functions 10. So, it has been widely used as drug substances, anti-aging products, cosmetics, and feed stuffs in human. However, its uses and roles in livestock production are limited 11. The ban and restrictions on the use of antibiotics in livestock production have directed researches to investigate natural or organic alternatives to antibiotics in plants (e.g. BLF) with the potential roles to promote growth and health as well as production performance such as meat, milk, egg production 11. The microbiota communities in the gut play significant roles in promoting health status and productivity in chickens 12 by modulating their immune system, inhibiting pathogenic colonization, and promoting detoxification and digestion 13. Recent studies have reported that gut microbiota involve in transforming flavonoid into phenolic acids, which can be easily absorbed in mice 14. Huang et al. 15 reported that flavonoids extracted from plants including quercetin, catechin, and puerarin had impact on the relative viability of the gut microbiota, which implies that dietary flavonoids supplements...

Synergistic effects of quercetin and vitamin E on egg production, egg quality, and immunity in aging breeder hens

“…The immune organ weight and index are indicators of the capability of lymphoid cells to produce immune factors in response to stimulations ( Jeurissen, 1991 ; Shu et al., 2020 ); our results in the current study showed that the combination of quercetin and vitamin E supplementation exerted synergistic effects on the splenic weight and splenic organ index by stimulating the development of the spleen, thereby improving the immune performance in the aging breeder hens. Similar findings reported by Shu et al. (2020) showed a significant increase in the weights and index of the spleen, bursa fabricius, and thymus of Arbor Acres broilers fed bamboo leaf flavone, and Yang et al.…”

“…Flavonoids have been reported to improve immunity in animals ( Shu et al., 2020 ; Yang et al., 2020 ). The immune organ weight and index are indicators of the capability of lymphoid cells to produce immune factors in response to stimulations ( Jeurissen, 1991 ; Shu et al., 2020 ); our results in the current study showed that the combination of quercetin and vitamin E supplementation exerted synergistic effects on the splenic weight and splenic organ index by stimulating the development of the spleen, thereby improving the immune performance in the aging breeder hens. Similar findings reported by Shu et al.…”

“…However, due to the ban on synthetic antibiotic usage in animal production and the incidence of drug residues in animal products ( Liu et al., 2013 ; Dalia et al., 2018 ), researchers have recently made use of naturally safe dietary supplements to maximize animal production. For instance, in chickens and other animal models, phytochemicals and various dietary supplements such as flavonoids ( Liu et al., 2013 ; Zhao et al., 2017 ; Shu et al., 2020 ), vitamins ( Sahin et al., 2003 ; Abedi et al., 2017 ; Dalia et al., 2018 ; Liu et al., 2019 ), and minerals ( Sahin et al., 2003 ; Dalia et al., 2018 ) have been reported to exhibit reproductive, stress-fighting, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiaging, and immunity related potential.…”

“…Flavonoids are dietary polyphenolic compounds including quercetin, rutin, resveratrol, and catechin which are ubiquitously present in plants and play major roles in improving the performance of chickens ( Vazquez Prieto et al., 2015 , Zhao et al., 2018 ; Shu et al., 2020 ) Reports indicate that flavonoids, minerals, and vitamins promote egg production and quality in breeder hens ( Kirunda et al., 2001 ; Sahin et al., 2003 ; Liu et al., 2013 ; Abedi et al., 2017 ; Dalia et al., 2018 ; Liu et al., 2019 ). Shu et al. (2020) revealed that bamboo leaf flavones enhance cytokine secretion in the bloodstream and splenic cytokine immune genes to exert immunoregulatory effects in chickens.…”

Potential Implications of Citrulline and Quercetin on Gut Functioning of Monogastric Animals and Humans: A Comprehensive Review

“…Citrulline is a functional marker of gut barrier dysfunction [16], and has been associated with various intestinal diseases, including short bowel syndrome [17,18], gastric ulcers [19], and necrotizing enterocolitis [20]. Recently, flavonoids, a group of natural compounds abundant in plants sources, such as bark, roots, stems, fruits, vegetables, bulbs, wine, and tea, have gained widespread attention for their therapeutic effects such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, anti-estrogenic, neuroprotective, and chemoprotective roles [21,22]. Quercetin is the primary polyphenolic flavonoid present in foods and it has been studied for its numerous beneficial properties including enhancing gut microbial composition, functions, and disease prevention [2].…”