Dietary Inulin Supplementation Modulates Short-Chain Fatty Acid Levels and Cecum Microbiota Composition and Function in Chickens Infected With Salmonella

Abstract

The current study investigated the effects of inulin on the gut microbiota, microbiome functions, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens infected with Salmonella enteritidis (SE). SPF Arbor Acres chickens (n = 240, 1-day-old) were divided into four groups: a control group (CON) fed a basal diet without inulin supplementation or SE infection, and three groups fed a basal diet supplemented with inulin 0, 0.5, and 1% (SE, 0.5%InSE, 1%InSE, respectively) up to 28-days-old, followed by SE challenge at 28 days of age. Cecal SCFA contents and microbiome composition and function were analyzed at 1-day post-infection. The results showed that SE infection significantly decreased cecal butyrate concentrations compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), while inulin supplementation reversed these changes compared with the SE group (p < 0.05). Inulin supplementation at 1% significantly increased the abundances of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, and significantly decreased the abundances of Subdoligranulum and Sellimonas compared with the SE group (p < 0.05). The functional profiles of microbial communities based on metagenomic sequencing analysis showed that SE infection significantly increased the abundances of pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism (p < 0.05), and significantly decreased the abundances of pathways related to nucleotide metabolism, translation, and replication and repair compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), and these effects were reversed by inulin supplementation (0.5 and 1%) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, inulin modulated the dysbiosis induced by SE infection via affecting SCFA metabolism and microbial functional profiles.

Heterophil/Lymphocyte Ratio Level Modulates Salmonella Resistance, Cecal Microbiota Composition and Functional Capacity in Infected Chicken

“…The ratio of the target’s peak area and the standard solution’s peak area was used as the ordinate and the concentration as the abscissa for drawing a linear regression line. The molar concentration of each SCFA was calculated using the ratio of the peak area of the individual SCFA and the peak area of the standard solution multiplied by the concentration of the standard solution ( 35 ). The data analysis was performed using Masshunter quantitative software Version 10.0.707.0 (Agilent, USA) with default parameters.…”

Gut Dysbiosis and Clostridioides difficile Infection in Neonates and Adults

“…Among SCFAs, butyrate seems to have no effect on C. difficile colonization and toxin production, but it can protect the intestinal epithelium from the damage caused by C. difficile toxins by stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and increasing tight junctions, and thus decreasing intestinal epithelial permeability, inhibiting intestinal inflammation and bacterial translocation. The addition of butyrate to the drinking water of mice, administration of a pro-drug of butyrate, tributyrin, or of an inulin-rich diet (inulin can be fermented by gut commensal bacteria, which generate short-chain fatty acids, mainly acetate, propionate, and butyrate) resulted in the protection of mice against CDI ( Fachi et al, 2019 ; Song et al, 2020 ).…”

Investigation of the Potential of Heterophil/Lymphocyte Ratio as a Biomarker to Predict Colonization Resistance and Inflammatory Response to Salmonella enteritidis Infection in Chicken

“…Moreover, these molecules are a vital link between the innate and adaptive immune systems [22]. For example, Salmonella infection generally decreases the level of IL-1β, IL-8, and IFN-γ in the plasma [23], but increases their mRNA expression levels in the small intestine [24]. However, the link between the H/L ratio and these blood serum immune indicators remains unclear.…”