Abstract
Inclusion of prebiotics in the diet is known to be advantageous, with positive influences both on health and growth. The current study investigated the differences in the hepatic transcriptome profiles between chickens supplemented with inulin (a storage carbohydrate found in many plants) and controls. Liver is a major metabolic organ and has been previously reported to be involved in the modification of the lipid metabolism in chickens fed with inulin. A nutrigenomic approach through the analysis of liver RNA hybridized to the Affymetrix GeneChip Chicken Genome Array identified 148 differentially expressed genes among both groups: 104 up-regulated (≥1.4-fold) and 44 down-regulated (≤0.6-fold). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis validated the microarray expression results for five out of seven genes tested. The functional annotation analyses revealed a number of genes, processes and pathways with putative involvement in chicken growth and performance, while reinforcing the immune status of animals, and fostering the production of long chain fatty acids in broilers supplemented with 5 g of inulin kg−1 diet. As far as we are aware, this is the first report of a microarray based gene expression study on the effect of dietary inulin supplementation, supporting further research on the use of this prebiotic on chicken diets as a useful alternative to antibiotics for improving performance and general immunity in poultry farming, along with a healthier meat lipid profile.
Highlights
Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients, whose beneficial effects on the host result from the selective stimulation of growth and/or activity of members of the gut microbiota, bifidobacteria and lactobacteria [1]
Generally extracted from chicory roots (Cichorium intybus L.), is a prebiotic formed by a chain of fructose molecules connected by b-(2–1) glycosidic bonds, terminated by one glucose molecule, which is not decomposed by digestive enzymes due to its chemical structure [2]
Fructans supplementation is known to produce positive influences both on health and growth [4,5]: in fish, they increase intestinal growth relative to whole body weight, potentially enhancing nutrient absorption [6,7]; in broilers, a decrease in body fat deposition [8], serum cholesterol concentration and abdominal fat weight has been reported [4,5,7,9]; in rodents and, to a lesser extent in humans, inulin-type fructans can alter lipid metabolism by reducing plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations [10,11]; in several animal models and in birds, these prebiotics modify the hepatic metabolism of lipids [5]; prebiotics have other positive effects on health, improving body functions and bone health, decreasing disease risks, reinforcing immune functions, preventing infections and intestinal diseases, and enhancing bioavailability of minerals [7,12,13]
Summary
Prebiotics (e.g. fructans including inulin-type fructans [inulin and fructooligosaccharides]) are nondigestible food ingredients, whose beneficial effects on the host result from the selective stimulation of growth and/or activity of members of the gut microbiota, bifidobacteria and lactobacteria [1]. Generally extracted from chicory roots (Cichorium intybus L.), is a prebiotic formed by a chain of fructose molecules connected by b-(2–1) glycosidic bonds, terminated by one glucose molecule, which is not decomposed by digestive enzymes due to its chemical structure [2]. It is a perfect carbon source for health-promoting gut bacteria. The mechanisms through which these effects develop are not clear: it is thought to be a direct effect of the prebiotic on the host immune system by triggering receptors in the gut epithelium, which induces an immune response and activates the immune system without it becoming overactive [14]; withal, many of the desired effects are brought about by the manipulation of the gut flora, with the prebiotics providing substrates that preferentially encourage beneficial strains of bacteria to proliferate [1]
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