Butyrate in broiler diets : impact of butyrate presence in distinct gastrointestinal tract segments on digestive function, microbiota composition and immune responses

Abstract

Dietary butyrate supplementation has however an inconsistent effect on the growth performance of broilers, with factors such as inclusion level, health status, age of the bird or diet composition being influential for the observed effects on growth performance (Cerisuelo et al., 2014; Polycarpo et al., 2017). Several mechanisms underlying the observed effects of butyrate on growth of livestock have been hypothesised (For review, see Guilloteau et al., 2010). At present, a limited number of studies have investigated the existence of such mechanisms in poultry (Zhang et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2017). In addition, most of the poultry studies resorted to only one butyrate additive and did not report butyrate concentrations along the GIT (e.g. Czerwinski et al., 2012; Cerisuelo et al., 2014). Hence, it remains uncertain whether the effects elicited by butyrate are conditioned by the GIT segment wherein the molecule is present. This dearth of knowledge could limit the full use of butyrate supplements as a nutritional strategy to meet the challenges of the poultry industry. Bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects Butyrate presence in the gastrointestinal tract Intracellular effects Sensing by enteroendocrine cells Increased gut integrity and prevention of inflammation Changes in passage rate, gut morphology and enzymatic secretions Changes in nutrient digestibility Shifts in microbiota composition Changes in immune responses Change in growth performance Figure 1. Putative modes of action of butyrate resulting in changes in the growth performance of broiler chickens Literature review

Butyric and Citric Acids and Their Salts in Poultry Nutrition: Effects on Gut Health and Intestinal Microbiota

“…Likewise, Elnesr et al mentioned the inclusion of SB at 0.5 and 1 g/kg increased villus length (VL) at day 21 (55 and 27%) and day 42 (39 and 18%), respectively, versus the basal diet [ 106 ]. Butyrate can also benefit pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) which are known to increase epithelial cell permeability in young broiler chicks [ 131 ]. Zou et al conducted confirmatory studies to prove the above statement by supplementing SB at T1: CON, T2: DSS, T3: 150 mg/kg SB and T4: 300 mg/kg levels in female Chinese Yellow broilers.…”

“…Similarly, Moquet found that butyrate supplementation can raise the concentration of digesta butyrate in the gastric, ileum and colon regions. It helped β-oxidation of lipids and showed a positive immune response in chickens [ 131 ]. The reason may be the promotion of glycolysis and location impact of butyrate on energy metabolism in the GIT of broilers.…”

Dietary Tributyrin Administration Improves Intestinal Morphology and Selected Bacterial and Short-Chain Fatty Acid Profiles in Broilers Under an Isocaloric Feeding Regime

“…Interestingly, higher intestinal villi length and villus length/crypt depth ratios were correlated with higher intestinal weight and longer intestinal length in response to butyrate product administration in broilers ( Gong et al, 2011 ; Lan et al, 2020 ). Particularly, a heavier gastrointestinal tract was observed in the TB-fed broilers when compared with that in the butyric acid- and sodium butyrate-fed ones ( Moquet, 2018 ), indicating that TB is superior to butyric acid and sodium butyrate in stimulating the growth and development of the gastrointestinal tract in broilers. Besides, TB also effectively protected the intestine from lethal infection-caused hemorrhage and necrosis ( Gu et al, 2017 ; Onrust et al, 2020 ) and severe oxidative stress-induced damages ( Wang et al, 2019b ) in broiler and pigs.…”

“…ones (Moquet, 2018), indicating that TB is superior to butyric acid and sodium butyrate in stimulating the growth and development of the gastrointestinal tract in broilers. Besides, TB also effectively protected the intestine from lethal infectioncaused hemorrhage and necrosis (Gu et al, 2017;Onrust et al, 2020) and severe oxidative stress-induced damages (Wang et al, 2019b) in broiler and pigs.…”

“…Interestingly, the intestinal bacterial composition could be modified in response to different butyrate sources. For example, dietary TB treatment significantly enriched the Bacteroidetes while reducing the Proteobacteria at the phylum level in broilers ( Moquet, 2018 ). Particularly, TB efficiently induces fetal hemoglobin and human cathelicidin expression under physiologically available concentration compared with sodium butyrate, demonstrating that its beneficial bio-efficiency is superior to that of sodium butyrate ( Witt et al, 2000 ; Jiang et al, 2013 ).…”