Dietary grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) improve weaned intestinal microbiota and mucosal barrier using a piglet model

Abstract

Proanthocyanidins have been suggested as an effective antibiotic alternative, however their mechanisms are still unknown. The present study investigated the effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins on gut microbiota and mucosal barrier using a weaned piglet model in comparison with colistin. Piglets weaned at 28 day were randomly assigned to four groups treated with a control ration, or supplemented with 250 mg/kg proanthocyanidins, kitasamycin/colistin, or 250 mg/kg proanthocyanidins and half-dose antibiotics, respectively. On day 28, the gut chyme and tissue samples were collected to test intestinal microbiota and barrier function, respectively. Proanthocyanidins treated piglets had better growth performance and reduced diarrhea incidence ( P < 0.05), accompanied with decreased intestinal permeability and improved mucosal morphology. Gene sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA revealed that dietary proanthocyanidins improved the microbial diversity in ileal and colonic digesta, and the most abundant OTUs belong to Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes spp . Proanthocyanidins treatment decreased the abundance of Lactobacillaceae , and increased the abundance of Clostridiaceae in both ileal and colonic lumen, which suggests that proanthocyanidins treatment changed the bacterial composition and distribution. Administration of proanthocyanidins increased the concentration of propionic acid and butyric acid in the ileum and colon, which may activate the expression of GPR41. In addition, dietary proanthocyanidins improved the antioxidant indices in serum and intestinal mucosa, accompanied with increasing expression of barrier occludin. Our findings indicated that proanthocyanidins with half-dose colistin was equivalent to the antibiotic treatment and assisted weaned animals in resisting intestinal oxidative stress by increasing diversity and improving balance of gut microbes.

Rethinking the Mechanism of the Health Benefits of Proanthocyanidins: Absorption, Metabolism, and Interaction with Gut Microbiota

“…Also, GSE was introduced to pig models in three different studies, and different results were obtained. Han et al treated weaned piglets with grape seed proanthocyanidins and found that bacteria of the family Lactobacillaceae decreased, while those of the family Clostridiaceae increased in both ileal and colonic lumen after administration (Han et al, 2016). On the contrary, in the research presented by Choy et al showed that bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus belonging to the family Lactobacillaceae dramatically increased after the administration of commercial GSE, which was consistent with a study by Williams et al (Choy et al, 2014;Williams et al, 2017).…”

Hepatoprotective effect of chiisanoside from Acanthopanax sessiliflorus against LPS/D‐GalN‐induced acute liver injury by inhibiting NF‐κB and activating Nrf2/HO‐1 signaling pathways

“…30 Superoxide dismutase and CAT defended against oxidative stress by respectively catalyzing and decomposing O 2− radicals and H 2 O 2 . 8,23,[31][32][33] The imbalance of antioxidant / oxidizing systems leads to a gradual increase in the degree of oxidative stress, which promotes acute liver failure. In this study, we determined the levels of SOD, GSH, MDA and CAT in mouse-liver tissues, to understand the mechanisms of CSS for its protective effect against acute LPS/GalN-induced liver injury.…”

Sodium Butyrate Attenuates Diarrhea in Weaned Piglets and Promotes Tight Junction Protein Expression in Colon in a GPR109A-Dependent Manner

“…Nutritionists have devised a series of solutions such as adding antibiotics, probiotics, enzymes, and oligosaccharides to feed. However, the use of antibiotics can increase the antibiotic resistance of pathogens and endanger human health [2,3]. Similar to antibiotics, the addition of organic acids or their salts to the diet has been shown to relieve diarrhea in weaned piglets [4].…”