Effect of gluten diet on blood innate immune gene expressions and stool consistency in Spix’s Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus fuscicollis) raised in captivity

Abstract

The callitrichids are non-human primates that feed on insects and plant matter in nature, but in captivity, they are fed mostly an artificial diet containing amounts of gluten, in their toxic forms in items such as wheat, barley and rye. The aim of this research was to estimate the blood β-defensin and Toll like receptor 5 (TLR5) gene expressions and to analyze the stool consistency (firm, soft, diarrheic) in Leontocebus fuscicollis raised in captivity. Blood samples of animals under gluten-free and gluten diets were collected and their fecal output quality was periodically monitored and classified during the course of the study. Gene expression was evaluated using real-time PCR. The stool consistencies of individuals fed a gluten diet were most frequently soft or diarrheic, while it was mostly normal in individuals fed a gluten-free diet. β-Defensin expression increased in individuals fed a gluten diet, but decreased after 15days. Expression normalized between 30 and 45days on a gluten-free diet. However, expression of the TLR5 gene did not change under a gluten diet. A gluten diet affects stool quality, and brings about an immediate increase in blood β-defensin expression in the beginning but decreases after 15days.