Microbiota and metabolome responses in the cecum and serum of broiler chickens fed with plant essential oils or virginiamycin

Abstract

This study investigated the cecal microbiota and serum metabolite profile of chickens fed with plant essential oils (PEO) or virginiamycin (VIRG) using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics approach. the main aim of this work was to explore the biochemical mechanisms involved in the improved growth performance of antibiotics and their alternatives in animal production. The results showed that both PEO and VIRG treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of phyla Bacteroidetes and decreased the abundance of phyla firmicutes and genus of Lactobacillus in cecal microbiota of chickens. compared to the control group (ct group), the relative abundance of genus of Alistipes, unclassified Rikenellaceae, Roseburia, and Anaeroplasma was enriched in the peo group; that of genus Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae, and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae was enriched in the cecal microbiota of the ViRG group. Untargeted metabolomics analyses revealed that the PEO treatment modified 102 metabolites and 3 KEGG pathways (primary bile acid biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism) in the cecal microbiota, and 81 metabolites and relevant KEGG pathways (fructose and mannose metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and linoleic acid.) in the serum of the chicken. Compared to the CT group, VIRG treatment group differed 217 metabolites and 10 KEGG pathways in cecal contents and 142 metabolites and 7 KEGG pathways in serum of chickens. pearson's correlation analysis showed that phyla Bacteroidetes and genus of Bacteroides, Alistipes, and unclassified Rikenellaceae (in the VIRG and PE group) were positively correlated with many lipid metabolites. However, phyla firmicutes and genera Lactobacillus (higher in the ct group) were negatively correlated with the lipid and thymine metabolism, and positively correlated with hydroxyisocaproic acid, cytosine, and taurine. this study shows that dietary supplementation with peo and VIRG altered the composition and metabolism profile of the cecal microbiota, modified the serum metabolism profile. The intestinal microbiota, the population of microorganisms that inhabit the intestine, plays an important role in the intestinal morphology, immunity, nutrient digestion and absorption, and host health 1-3. Many studies have demonstrated that intestinal microbiota participates in many metabolic pathways, such as lipid metabolism and amino acid synthesis 4,5. The mechanism by which PEO promote growth of may be alter gut microflora and hence improved absorption of nutrients 6 , increase absorption of micronutrients in the small intestine 7 and reducing the deleterious effects of the microbial metabolites 8-10. There are many alternatives to antibiotics, such as acidifiers, probiotics, oligosaccharides, and plant extracts, which play a growth promoting role by regulating gut microbes in pig and poultry 11. Plant essential oils (PEO), which can be extracted from plants by steam distillation, extrusion, or solvent extraction 12,13 , serve as alternatives for antibi...

Community composition of cecal microbiota in commercial yellow broilers with high and low feed efficiencies

“…This negative correlation may be due to the fact that Bacteroides are generally related to polysaccharide degradation, especially of starch and glucans ( Degnan et al., 1997 ; Beckmann et al., 2006 ). Bacteroides are also linked to SCFA formation and positively correlated with many lipid metabolites ( Saxena et al., 2016 ; Chen et al., 2020 ). These characteristics may favor the improvement of host FE.…”

Yeast Culture Improves Egg Quality and Reproductive Performance of Aged Breeder Layers by Regulating Gut Microbes

“…Lactobacilli have been shown to be negatively correlated with lipid metabolism. They accelerate the synthesis of lipid peroxidation metabolites and are positively related to intestinal health (Chen et al, 2020). Some experiments related to the addition of Lactobacilli also revealed that they have the potential to improve the performance, digestion, and feed utilization efficiency of broilers and laying hens (Saleh et al, 2017(Saleh et al, , 2020.…”

Natural Compounds in the Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota: Implications in Human Physiology and Pathology

“…In another study, the administration of a commercial EO mixture, containing cinnamaldehyde, isophorone and eugenol significantly increased the relative abundance of phyla Bacteroidetes and decreased the abundance of phyla Firmicutes in cecal microbiota of chickens, with an increase in the relative abundance of genus of Alistipes, Rikenellaceae, Roseburia, and Anaeroplasma. This microbioma changes was confirmed by more than hundred different metabolites detected in cecum of EO treated animals, probably linked to their improved growth performances [141,142].…”

“…Similar results were obtained in a rat model of type 2 diabetes, in which G. lucidum treatment reduced the relative abundance of harmful bacteria, such as Aerococcus, Ruminococcus, Corynebacterium and Proteus, and increased the levels of Blautia, Dehalobacterium, Parabacteroides and Bacteroides. Microbiome analysis indicated that Reishi treatment could also restore the microbial metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, inflammatory substances and nucleic acids, altered by the obesity status [141,142]. Taken together, these results indicate that G. lucidum and particularly its high molecular weight polysaccharides may be effectively used as prebiotic agents to prevent gut dysbiosis and obesity-related metabolic disorders, at least in obese rodents.…”