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Oregano Essential Oils Mediated Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolites and Improved Growth Performance and Intestinal Barrier Function in Sheep

ABSTRACT: With the increased demand for safe and sustainable alternatives to growth promoting antibiotics in the livestock industry, oregano essential oils (OEO) and Lactobacillus reuteri (LR) have been examined as alternatives to antibiotics for growth promotion and to improve animal health and performance. However, the mechanism underlying the OEO and LR mediation of sheep growth remains unknown. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics were used to determine the role of the gut microbiota in the growth improvements observed. The potential modulating roles of intestinal microbial metabolites of OEO and LR to intestinal health were systematically explored as well. It was observed that both OEO and LR had greater average daily gain (ADG) and lower F/G ratio. Furthermore, OEO also appeared to have produced a greater amylase enzyme activity and mucin gene expression in the jejunal mucosa. It was also observed that OEO reduced serum IL-2 and TNF-β as well as mRNA levels of NF-κB p65, toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), and IL-6 in the jejunal mucosa. Moreover, dietary OEO supplementation increased the abundances of Ruminococcus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus, while the relative abundances of Succiniclasticum, Marvinbryantia and Streptococcus were enriched in LR group. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that the abundances of Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus and Enterococcus were positively correlated with the mRNA expression of mucins. Moreover, the relative abundance of Enterococcus was positively correlated with amylase activity. Metabolomics analysis indicated that OEO and LR increased the levels of indole acetaldehyde and indole-3-acetic acid through the tryptophan metabolism pathway. It was observed that LR also decreased the inflammatory metabolites including tryptamine and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid. Collectively, these results suggested that OEO exerted a beneficial effect on growth performance and the mucosal barrier, affected tryptophan metabolism and improved the intestinal microbiota of sheep.

SUBMITTER: Jia L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9314563 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Encapsulated phytochemicals with augmented therapeutic and nutritional characteristics have become promising alternatives to antimicrobials in the poultry industry. Hence, our key target was to explore the efficacy of liposomal encapsulation, as a novel carrier, for essential oils (LEOs) on growth, digestibility, intestinal microbiota, and bacterial metabolites of broiler chickens. Moreover, the impact of encapsulated EOs on transcription mechanisms targeting the genes encoding digestive enzymes, gut barrier functions and antioxidant potential of broiler chickens was evidenced. Four equal broiler groups were fed 4 basal diets fortified with LEOs (oregano, cinnamon, and clove) at the levels of 0, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg diet. Our findings revealed significant improvement in body weight gain and feed conversion ratio of birds fed higher levels of LEOs. These results came concurrently with increasing the activities of digestive enzymes at both serum and molecular levels and consequently nutrient digestibility (dry matter, ether extract, crude protein, and crude fiber) in these groups. Remarkably, the abundance of beneficial bacteria as well as the bacterial metabolites (valeric acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, acetic acid, and total short-chain fatty acids) was increased, while that of pathogenic ones was reduced following dietary inclusion of LEOs. Of note, the mRNA expression of genes encoding antioxidant stability [catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX-1), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO1), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)] as well as barrier functions [mucin-2 (MUC-2)] and tight junction proteins, TJP [junctional adhesion molecule-2 (JAM-2) and occludin] were noticeably upregulated in broilers fortified with 400 mg/kg diet of LEOs. Overall, the present work recommended dietary inclusion of LEOs as beneficial additives for attaining targeted performance, gut health and antioxidant stability in poultry farming.

Project description:The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of encapsulated essential oils (EOs) on the gut microbiota, growth performance, intestinal morphology, antioxidant properties and barrier function of meat-type ducks. A total of 320 male Cherry Valley ducks (1 day old), were randomly assigned to four dietary experimental groups with eight replicates of ten ducks each. The groups consisted of the CON group (basal diet), the HEO group (basal diet + EO 1000 mg/kg), the LEO group (basal diet + EO 500 mg/kg), and the ANT group (basal diet + chlortetracycline 50 mg/kg). Our findings indicated that ducks fed with EO 1000 mg/kg had greater average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and body weight (BW) and a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the other groups. The serum concentration of TG reduced in the HEO (p > 0.05) and LEO (p < 0.05) groups on day 42, while the concentration of CHOL increased with the EO concentration in the LEO (p > 0.05) and HEO (p < 0.05) groups. No differences were observed in the ileal mucosa for the activities of SOD, MPO and GSH-PX after EO dietary treatment. Dietary supplementation with EOs significantly increased the villus heights (p < 0.01) and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (c/v) in the duodenum and jejunum of ducks. Moreover, the mRNA expressions of Claudin1 and Occludin in the jejunal mucosa were observed to be higher in the LEO and HEO groups rather than the CON and ANT groups on d 42. The α diversity showed that the HEO group improved the bacterial diversity and abundance. The β diversity analysis indicated that the microbial structures of the four groups were obviously separated. EO dietary supplementation could increase the relative abundance (p < 0.01) of the Bacteroidetes phylum, Bacteroidaceae family, and Bacteroides, Desulfovibrio, Phascolarctobacterium, and Butyricimonas genera in the cecal microbiota of ducks. We demonstrated significant differences in the bacterial composition and functional potential of the gut microbiota in ducks that were fed either an EO diet or a basal diet. Therefore, supplemented EOs was found to have a positive effect on the growth performance and intestinal health of ducks, which was attributed to the improvement in cecal microbiota, intestinal morphology, and barrier function.

Project description:Optimal intestinal health and functionality are essential for animal health and performance, and simultaneously intestinal nutrient transporters and intestinal peptides are also involved in appetite and feed intake control mechanisms. Given the potential of essential oil (EO) in improving animal performance and improving feed palatability, we hypothesized that dietary supplementation of cinnamaldehyde and carvacrol could improve performance and appetite of nursery pigs by modulating intestinal health and microbiota. Cinnamaldehyde (100 mg/kg), carvacrol (100 mg/kg), and their mixtures (including 50 mg/kg cinnamaldehyde and 50 mg/kg carvacrol) were supplemented into the diets of 240 nursery pigs for 42 d, and data related to performance were measured. Thereafter, the influence of EO on intestinal health, appetite and gut microbiota and their correlations were explored. EO supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the body weight, average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of piglets, and reduced (P < 0.05) diarrhea rates in nursery pigs. Furthermore, EO increased (P < 0.05) the intestinal absorption area and the abundance of tight junction proteins, and decreased (P < 0.05) intestinal permeability and local inflammation. In terms of intestinal development and the mucus barrier, EO promoted intestinal development and increased (P < 0.05) the number of goblet cells. Additionally, we found that piglets in the EO-supplemented group had upregulated (P < 0.05) levels of transporters and digestive enzymes in the intestine, which were significantly associated with daily gain and feed utilization. In addition, EO supplementation somewhat improved appetite in nursery pigs, increased the diversity of the gut microbiome and the abundance of beneficial bacteria, and there was a correlation between altered bacterial structure and appetite-related hormones. These findings indicate that EO is effective in promoting growth performance and nutrient absorption as well as in regulating appetite by improving intestinal health and bacterial structure.

Project description:BackgroundDietary essential oil (EO) supplementation can exert favorable effects on gut health in broilers. However, it is unknown whether EO could improve intestinal functions, consequently beneficial for egg performance and quality in late-phase laying hens. This study was aimed to investigate the potential effects of EO on production performance, egg quality, intestinal health and ileal microbiota of hens in the late phase of production. A total of 288 60-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were randomly divided into 4 groups and fed a basal diet (control) or basal diets supplemented with oregano EO at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg (EO100, EO200 and EO400).ResultsDietary EO supplementation resulted in a quadratic decrease (P < 0.05) in feed conversion ratio with lower (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio in EO200 group than the control during weeks 9-12 and 1-12 of the trial. Compared to the control, EO addition resulted in higher (P < 0.05) eggshell thickness at the end of week. 4, 8 and 12 and higher (P < 0.05) chymotrypsin activity. There was a quadratic elevation (P < 0.05) in ileal chymotrypsin and lipase activity, along with a linear increase in villus height to crypt depth ratio. Quadratic declines (P < 0.05) in mRNA expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ and TLR-4, concurrent with a linear and quadratic increase (P < 0.05) in ZO-1 expression were identified in the ileum with EO addition. These favorable effects were maximized at medium dosage (200 mg/kg) of EO addition and intestinal microbial composition in the control and EO200 groups were assessed. Dietary EO addition increased (P < 0.05) the abundances of Burkholderiales, Actinobacteria, Bifidobacteriales, Enterococcaceae and Bacillaceae, whereas decreased Shigella abundance in the ileum.ConclusionsDietary EO addition could enhance digestive enzyme activity, improve gut morphology, epithelial barrier functions and modulate mucosal immune status by altering microbial composition, thus favoring feed efficiency and eggshell quality of late-phase laying hens.

Project description:Essential oils (EOs) have long been considered an alternative to antibiotics in the breeding industry. However, they are unstable and often present unpleasant odors, which hampers their application. Microencapsulation can protect the active gradients from oxidation and allow them to diffuse slowly in the gastrointestinal tract. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of microencapsulation technology on the biological function of EOs and the possibility of using microencapsulate EOs (MEEOs) as an alternative to antibiotics in weaning piglets. First, we prepared MEEOs and common EOs both containing 2% thymol, 5% carvacrol and 3% cinnamaldehyde (w/w/w). Then, a total of 48 weaning piglets were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments: (1) basal diet; (2) 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline; (3) 100 mg/kg common EOs; (4) 500 mg/kg common EOs; (5) 100 mg/kg MEEOs; and (6) 500 mg/kg MEEO. The trial lasted 28 days. The results showed that piglets in the 100 mg/kg MEEOs group had the lowest diarrhea index during days 15-28 (P < 0.05). In addition, 100 mg/kg MEEOs significantly alleviated intestinal oxidative stress and inflammation (P < 0.05), whereas 500 mg/kg common EOs caused intestinal oxidative stress (P < 0.05) and may lead to intestinal damage through activation of inflammatory cytokine response. MEEOs (100 mg/kg) significantly reduced the ratio of the relative abundance of potential pathogenic and beneficial bacteria in the cecum and colon (P < 0.05), thus contributing to the maintenance of intestinal health. On the other hand, chlortetracycline caused an increase in the ratio of the relative abundance of potential pathogenic and beneficial bacteria in the colon (P < 0.05), which could potentially have adverse effects on the intestine. The addition of a high dose of MEEOs may have adverse effects on the intestine and may lead to diarrhea by increasing the level of colonic acetic acid (P < 0.05). Collectively, the results suggest that microencapsulation technology significantly promotes the positive effect of EOs on the intestinal health of weaning piglets and reduces the adverse effect of EOs, and 100 mg/kg MEEOs are recommended as a health promoter in piglets during the weaning period.

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Oregano Essential Oils Mediated Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolites and Improved Growth Performance and Intestinal Barrier Function in Sheep

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