Effects of Dietary Ferulic Acid on Intestinal Health and Ileal Microbiota of Tianfu Broilers Challenged with Lipopolysaccharide

Abstract

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been considered the primary agent to establish animal models of inflammation, immunological stress, and organ injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that LPS impaired gastrointestinal development and disrupted intestinal microbial composition and metabolism. Ferulic acid (FA) isolated from multiple plants exhibits multiple biological activities. This study investigated whether FA ameliorated intestinal function and microflora in LPS-challenged Tianfu broilers. The results showed that LPS challenge impaired intestinal function, as evidenced by decreased antioxidant functions (p < 0.05), disrupted morphological structure (p < 0.05), and increased intestinal permeability (p < 0.05); however, these adverse effects were improved by FA supplementation. Additionally, FA supplementation preserved sIgA levels (p < 0.05), increased mRNA expression levels of CLDN and ZO-1 (p < 0.05), and enhanced epithelial proliferation (p < 0.05) in the ileal mucosa in LPS-challenged chickens. Moreover, FA supplementation rectified the ileal microflora disturbances in the LPS-challenged broilers. The results demonstrate that dietary FA supplementation decreased LPS-induced intestinal damage by enhancing antioxidant capacity and maintaining intestinal integrity. Furthermore, FA supplementation protects intestinal tight junctions (TJs), elevates secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels, and modulates ileal microflora composition in LPS-challenged broilers.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with a Ferulic Acid-Rich Bioactive Component of Wheat Bran in a Murine Model of Graft-Versus-Host Disease

“…In rats with collagen-induced arthritis, the administration of FA has been shown to reduce serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α as well as apoptosis and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in diabetic rats [12,13,20,21,34]. Moreover, it has been demonstrated how FA can restore intestinal dysbiosis and barrier dysfunction, mitigating tissue damage in LPS-challenged chickens [35]. In this sense, FA can prevent the distortion of occluding and E-cadherin proteins after heat stress-induced epithelial barrier dysfunction [36].…”

“…In most inflammatory murine models, doses between 10 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg have been used as once-daily injections [33]. In fact, the dose of pure FA that leads to improvements in the gut health of LPS-challenged chickens is 100 mg/kg [35].…”

Effects of fecal microbiota transplantation and fecal virome transplantation on LPS-induced intestinal injury in broilers

“…Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), the main antibody produced by B cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa, can regulate the complex gut microbiota by recognizing and binding to different antigens on the surfaces of different types of bacteria, helping the colonization and proliferation of beneficial members of the gut microbiota ( Leon and Francino, 2022 ). LPS can cause a significant decrease in ileal sIgA level ( Tang et al, 2023 ). In the results of immunohistochemical staining of the ileum at D11 in this study ( Figure 3 ), the relative expression of sIgA was significantly downregulated in the LPS group compared to the CON group, whereas at D15 ( Figure 4 ), this difference moved in the opposite direction (significantly upregulated).…”

Chia Phenolic Extract Appear to Improve Small Intestinal Functionality, Morphology, Bacterial Populations, and Inflammation Biomarkers In Vivo (Gallus gallus)

“…Furthermore, the administration of an extract rich in rosmarinic acid decreased TNF-α in mice fed a high-fat diet [ 40 ]. Danshensu was demonstrated to be an efficient antioxidant and also had an effective anti-inflammatory impact [ 41 , 42 ], whereas ferulic acid increased antioxidant capacity, improved intestinal barrier integrity, mucosal immune response, and increased stability of ileal microflora [ 43 ]. Moreover, it is proposed that the digestion process of chia products could lead to an elevation in antioxidant activity and favor the anti-inflammatory effects [ 44 ].…”