Abstract
It has been shown that bamboo leaf flavone (BLF) displays biological and pharmacological activities in mammals. However, the effects of BLF on broiler gut microbiota and related immune function have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to test our hypothesis that BLF can improve the health status of broilers by modulating the gut microbiota. A total of 300 one-day-old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were used to characterize their gut microbiota and immune status after feeding diet supplemented with BLF. The V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene from cecal bacteria was sequenced via the Illumina MiSeq platform. The Immune status and related parameters were assessed, including the immune organ index (the spleen, thymus, and bursa), serum concentrations of IL-2 and INF-γ, and spleen IL-2 and INF-γ gene expressions. The results showed the BLF diet had an Immune enhancement effect on broilers. In addition, BFL caused the changes of the gut microbial community structure, resulting in greater proportions of bacterial taxa belonging to Lactobacillus, Clostridiales, Ruminococcus, and Lachnospiraceae. These bacteria have been used as probiotics for producing short chain fatty acids in hosts. These results indicate that BLF supplement improves immune function in chicken via modulation of the gut microbiota.
Highlights
It has been shown that bamboo leaf flavone (BLF) displays biological and pharmacological activities in mammals
Spleen index was increased in all BLF fed broilers at day 42 the significant increase was found in the M group only (P < 0.05)
We confirmed that BLF can improve the immune performance in broilers
Summary
It has been shown that bamboo leaf flavone (BLF) displays biological and pharmacological activities in mammals. BFL caused the changes of the gut microbial community structure, resulting in greater proportions of bacterial taxa belonging to Lactobacillus, Clostridiales, Ruminococcus, and Lachnospiraceae These bacteria have been used as probiotics for producing short chain fatty acids in hosts. The flavonoid extracted from bamboo leaves (so-called bamboo leaf flavone, BLF), mainly including orientin, homoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin[4], have been confirmed to have multiple biological activities, such as scavenging oxygen r adicals[5], enhancing immunity[6], and possessing anticancer7, antibacterial8, antiviral[9], and antioxidant functions[10] It has been widely used as drug substances, anti-aging products, cosmetics, and feed stuffs in human. The results indicated that BFL is applicable as a natural feed additive for chickens to boost their health and production
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
