• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.986-995
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• 2019

Intestinal microbiota play a key role in maintaining the host's health, and variety and richness of this microbiota is directly influenced and modulated by the host's diet. Kimchi is a fermented food rich in dietary fibers and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). To investigate the effect of fermented kimchi on the host's response and the composition of intestinal microbiota, 45 male Sprague-Dawley rats six weeks old were divided into three experimental groups that received either a basal diet (CON) or a basal diet supplemented with fermented kimchi (FK) or chitosan-added fermented kimchi (CFK) for four weeks. Body weights and feed intakes were measured weekly, and the intestinal contents were collected aseptically and were used for 16S rRNA gene profiling via pyrosequencing. As compared to the control, FK and CFK groups showed less body weight gain, feed efficiency, and blood triglyceride concentration. The diversity of intestinal microbiota was increased in both FK and CFK as compared to the control. At the phylum level, obesity-associated Firmicutes decreased, while leanness-associated Bacteroidetes increased. At the genus-level, the genera that consist of LAB, leanness-associated bacteria, and butyric acid-producing bacteria increased in FK and CFK as compared to the control. The overall results suggest that the consumption of fermented kimchi can reduce obesity and promote the host's health through mechanisms involving the modulation of intestinal microbiota.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1742-1750
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• 2015

As a novel approach for disease control and prevention, nutritional modulation of the intestinal health has been proved. However, It is still unknown whether branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is needed to maintain intestinal immune-related function. The objective of this study was to determine whether BCAA supplementation in protein restricted diet affects growth performance, intestinal barrier function and modulates post-weaning gut disorders. One hundred and eight weaned piglets ($7.96{\pm}0.26kg$) were randomly fed one of the three diets including a control diet (21% crude protein [CP], CON), a protein restricted diet (17% CP, PR) and a BCAA diet (BCAA supplementation in the PR diet) for 14 d. The growth performance, plasma amino acid concentrations, small intestinal morphology and intestinal immunoglobulins were tested. First, average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.05) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p<0.05) of weaned pigs in PR group were lower, while gain:feed ratio was lower than the CON group (p<0.05). Compared with PR group, BCAA group improved ADG (p<0.05), ADFI (p<0.05) and feed:gain ratio (p<0.05) of piglets. The growth performance data between CON and BCAA groups was not different (p>0.05). The PR and BCAA treatments had a higher (p<0.05) plasma concentration of methionine and threonine than the CON treatment. The level of some essential and functional amino acids (such as arginine, phenylalanine, histidine, glutamine etc.) in plasma of the PR group was lower (p<0.05) than that of the CON group. Compared with CON group, BCAA supplementation significantly increased BCAA concentrations (p<0.01) and decreased urea concentration (p<0.01) in pig plasma indicating that the efficiency of dietary nitrogen utilization was increased. Compared with CON group, the small intestine of piglets fed PR diet showed villous atrophy, increasing of intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) number (p<0.05) and declining of the immunoglobulin concentration, including jejunal immunoglobulin A (IgA) (p = 0.04), secreted IgA (sIgA) (p = 0.03) and immunoglobulin M (p = 0.08), and ileal IgA (p = 0.01) and immunoglobulin G (p = 0.08). The BCAA supplementation increased villous height in the duodenum (p<0.01), reversed the trend of an increasing IELs number. Notably, BCAA supplementation increased levels of jejunal and ileal immunoglobulin mentioned above. In conclusion, BCAA supplementation to protein restricted diet improved intestinal immune defense function by protecting villous morphology and by increasing levels of intestinal immunoglobulins in weaned piglets. Our finding has the important implication that BCAA may be used to reduce the negative effects of a protein restricted diet on growth performance and intestinal immunity in weaned piglets.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1480-1487
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• 2020

Our previous report determined that miR-144 is a key regulator of intestinal epithelial permeability in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) rats. Recent evidence has shown that lactobacilli play an important role in the relief of IBS-D symptoms. However, few studies have addressed the mechanisms by which microRNAs and lactobacilli exert their beneficial effects on intestinal epithelial permeability. Hence, to elucidate whether miRNAs and lactobacilli play roles in intestinal epithelial barrier regulation, we compared miRNA expression levels in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) under Lactobacillus casei (L. casei LC01) treatment. IECs and L. casei LC01 were co-cultured and then subjected to microRNA microarray assay. qRT-PCR, western blot and ELISA were used to detect the expression of occludin (OCLN) and zonula occludens 1 (ZO1/TJP1). The interaction between miRNAs and L. casei LC01 acting in IECs was investigated through transfection of RNA oligoribonucleotides and pcDNA 3.1 plasmid. The results are as follows: 1) L. casei LC01 decreased the expression of miR-144 and FD4 and promoted OCLN and ZO1 expression in IECs; 2) L. casei LC01 enhanced the barrier function of IECs via downregulation of miR-144 and upregulation of OCLN and ZO1; 3) Under L. casei LC01 treatment, OCLN and ZO1 overexpression could partially eliminate the promoting effect of miR-144 on intestinal permeability in IECs. Our results demonstrate that L. casei LC01 regulates intestinal permeability of IECs through miR-144 targeting of OCLN and ZO1. L. casei LC01 can be a possible therapeutic target for managing dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 2002

Gastrointestinal infections kill over two million people each year, and pathogen contamination of livestock causes many cases of food poisoning. Two candidate intestinal probiotic strains, L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 were found to inhibit the growth of Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, L. innocua, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacteroides fragilis. In a series of mouse experiments, L. rhamosus GR-1 and L rhamnosus GG protected against S. typhimurium infection and translocation to the liver and spleen, reduced mortality and induced intestinal phagocytic and immunoglobulin responses. In a second series of experiments, the combination of L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 was superior to L. rhamnosus GG and placebo in protecting the mice from the lethal effect of salmonella. In summary, the use of combinations of probiotic lactobacilli as dietary supplements or foods could be considered for people at high risk of salmonella intestinal infection. Given the post-infection complications that can arise, such natural methods warrant further exploration especially given the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance and the lack of alternative measures available to many developing countries.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1111-1127
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• 2023

Health-promoting preparations of inanimate microorganisms or their components are postbiotics. Since probiotics are sensitive to heat and oxygen, postbiotics are stable during industrial processing and storage. Postbiotics boost poultry growth, feed efficiency, intestinal pathogen reduction, and health, making them acceptable drivers of sustainable poultry production. It contains many important biological properties, such as immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory responses. Postbiotics revealed promising antioxidant effects due to higher concentrations of uronic acid and due to some enzyme's production of antioxidants, e.g., superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidases and peroxidases. Postbiotics improve intestinal villi, increase lactic acid production, and reduce Enterobacteriaceae and fecal pH, all of which lead to a better immune reaction and health of the gut, as well as better growth performance. P13K/AKT as a potential target pathway for postbiotics-improved intestinal barrier functions. Similarly, postbiotics reduce yolk and plasma cholesterol levels in layers and improve egg quality. It was revealed that favorable outcomes were obtained with various inclusion levels at 1 kg and 0.5 kg. According to several studies, postbiotic compounds significantly increased poultry performance. This review article presents the most recent research investigating the beneficial results of postbiotics in poultry.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4_spc
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• pp.719-729
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• 2024

Global pig production has increased by 140% since the 1960s. The increase in global population, coupled with improving socioeconomic conditions of many countries has led to an increased consumption of meat globally, including pork. To keep up with demand and capitalize on economic opportunities, the countries of China, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU) have become the top 3 pork producers globally. China is of particular interest, as it is the both the largest country in pork production and pig numbers, as well as being the largest importer of pork from other countries. Globally, the efficiency of pork production has improved, in relation to the integration of pig production and the dramatic increase in research efforts in pig nutrition and production. Through integration, large producers can consolidate resources and maximize profits and efficiency. The increased research interest and efforts in pig production have given scientists and producers the opportunity to collaborate to adapt to challenges and identify possible solutions to issues brought on by a volatile global market. Intestinal health (23%), general nutrition and growth (23%), and amino acid nutrition (15%) were the top 3 areas (61%) leading research trends in pig nutrition and production. Major dietary interventions with feed additives evaluated include functional amino acids, feed enzymes, pre-/pro-/post-biotics, and phytobiotics with a common goal to improve the growth efficiency by enhancing nutrient utilization and intestinal health. With increasing global issues with environment, pig producers and the supporting scientists should continue their efforts to improve the production efficiency and to reduce the environmental footprint from pig production.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.457-470
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• 2024

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementing different protease enzymes on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and selected carcass traits in broilers fed diets reduced 3.5% in crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA). One thousand one-day-old Ross 308 broilers (41 g) were assigned to five dietary treatments with ten replicates of 20 birds each: a positive control (PC) diet formulated to meet Ross 308 AA requirements, a negative control (NC) diet reformulated to provide 3.5% lower CP and AA compared to PC, NC supplemented with a multi-protease (PR1) solution, containing 3 different coated proteases produced from Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, NC supplemented with a serine protease (PR2) produced from Bacillus licheniformis, and NC supplemented with an alkaline protease (PR3) produced from Bacillus licheniformis. At slaughter, 40 birds per treatment were used to assess the effect of the different treatments on carcass traits. At 32 days, samples of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of 10 birds per treatment were collected for intestinal morphology evaluation. Birds fed PC and NC supplemented with multi-protease exhibited better (p < 0.05) feed efficiency compared to NC and NC supplemented with all the other protease enzymes. Multi-protease supplementation was linked to the highest (p < 0.05) carcass weight and yield. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments in all gut segments, with PC, PR1, PR2, and PR3 exhibiting longer villi height (VH) compared to NC. This study demonstrates that 3.5% reduction of CP and AA negatively affected for the overall period feed efficiency, carcass yield, and intestinal morphology. The supplementation of the multi-protease restored feed efficiency and improved carcass yield.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.701-707
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• 2020

A survey was performed to investigate the infection status of zoonotic helminth larvae in fish from a local market of North Dagon District in Yangon City, Myanmar. A total of 486 fish in 13 species were collected 8 times from December 2015 to December 2019. All fish were transported under ice to a laboratory in Korea and examined for helminth larvae using artificial digestion method. Larval gnathostomes and metacercariae of more than 8 zoonotic trematode species, i.e., Opisthorchis viverrini, Haplorchis taichui, H. pumilio, H. yokogawai, Centrocestus spp., Stellantchasmus falcatus, Pygidiopsis cambodiensis, and Procerovum sp., were detected. Larval gnathostomes were found in 58 (16.0%) out of 362 fish of 6 species, with mean intensity of 2.8 per fish infected. Metacercariae of O. viverrini were detected in 10 (2.9%) out of 349 fish of 5 species, with mean intensity of 16.9 per fish infected. Metacercarial prevalences of 4 intestinal flukes, H. taichui, H. pumilio, H. yokogawai, and Centrocestus spp., were 16.8%, 26.0%, 12.5%, and 15.0% in the positive fish species, respectively, and mean metacercarial intensity was 63.3, 26.8, 86.2, and 8.7 per fish infected. Metacercariae of S. falcatus and P. cambodiensis were detected only from the mullet, Chelon macrolepis. Metacercariae of Procerovum sp. were found in Channa striata and Anabas testudineus. Collectively, it was confirmed that the fish were infected with gnathostome larvae and metacercariae of O. viverrini and intestinal flukes in Yangon City, Myanmar.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1311-1318
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• 2014

This study was designed to investigate the effects of basal diets supplemented with a clay product consisting of zeolite and attapulgite (ZA) at 1:1 ratio on growth performance, digestibility of feed nutrients, activities of digestive enzymes in small intestine and intestinal health in broiler chickens. In experiment 1, 112 one-day-old male chickens were randomly divided into 2 groups with 8 replicates of 7 chickens each. In experiment 2, 84 one-day-old male chickens were randomly allocated into 2 groups consisting 6 replicates of 7 chickens each. The experimental diets both consisted of a maize-soybean basal control diet supplemented with 0% or 2% ZA. The diets were fed from 1 to 42 days of age. The results showed that ZA supplementation could increase body weight gain (BWG) and feed intake (FI), but had no significant effect on feed conversion ratio. The apparent digestibility values of crude protein and gross energy were significantly increased (p<0.05) by ZA from 14 to 16 d and 35 to 37 d. Dietary ZA treatment significantly increased (p<0.05) the activities of amylase, lipase and trypsin in jejunal digesta and the activities of maltase and sucrase in jejunal mucosa on days 21 and 42. The ZA supplementation also significantly increased (p<0.05) the catalase activity, reduced (p<0.05) the malondialdehyde concentration in the jejunal mucosa. In addition, a decrease of serum diamine oxidase activity and an increase (p<0.05) in concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A in jejunal mucosa were observed in birds treated with ZA on 21 and 42 days. It is concluded that ZA supplementation (2%) could partially improve the growth performance by increasing BWG and FI. This improvement was achieved through increasing the secretion of digestive enzymes, enhancing the digestibilites of nutrients, promoting intestinal health of broiler chickens.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.439-445
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• 2015

A survey of intestinal helminths was undertaken in riparian people in Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR. Fecal specimens were collected from 643 people (289 males and 354 females) residing in 4 districts (Nonghet, Kham, Phoukout, and Pek) and were examined by the Kato-Katz technique. The overall helminth egg positive rate was 41.2%, and hookworms revealed the highest prevalence (32.7%) followed by Trichuris trichiura (7.3%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (5.6%). The positive rate for small trematode eggs (STE), which may include Opisthorchis viverrini, heterophyids, and lecithodendriids, was 4.4%. For recovery of adult helminths, 12 STE or nematode/cestode egg-positive people were treated with 40 mg/kg praziquantel and 15 mg/kg pyrantel pamoate, and then purged. Mixed infections with 2 Haplorchis species (H. pumilio and H. taichui), Centrocestus formosanus, Opisthorchis viverrini, a species of cestode (Taenia saginata), and several species of nematodes including hookworms and Enterobius vermicularis were detected. The worm load for trematodes was the highest for H. pumilio with an average of 283.5 specimens per infected person followed by C. formosanus, H. taichui, and O. viverrini. The worm load for nematodes was the highest for hookworms (21.5/infected case) followed by E. vermicularis (3.2/infected case). The results revealed that the surveyed areas of Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR are endemic areas of various species of intestinal helminths. The STE found in the surveyed population were verified to be those of heterophyids, particularly H. pumilio.