Abstract
BackgroundThe gut microbiota is closely correlated with host health and is strongly influenced by food composition. Chinese herbs are usually used as natural feed additives in livestock production. Therefore, the present study assessed the influence of diet supplementation with green tea and mulberry leaf powders on the chicken gut microbiota. The gut microbiota compositions were determined using 16S rDNA sequencing.ResultsEnhanced relative abundances of Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Megamonas were found in the chicken gut when mulberry leaf powder was added to diet. Conversely, a higher abundance of potentially pathogenic Gallibacterium was found in the chicken gut when the diet was supplemented with green tea powder. These results indicated that green tea powder and mulberry leaf powder can greatly affect the gut microbiota of chickens by changing their compositions.ConclusionsIt is imperative to examine and evaluate the effects of Chinese herbs on animal health before they are introduced as feed additives in animal production.
Highlights
The gut microbiota is closely correlated with host health and is strongly influenced by food composition
Regarding alpha diversity of Bacteroidetes, there was a significant increase in group B compared to that in group C (One-way ANOVA, P < 0.019), whereas in case of Proteobacteria, a significant decrease was observed in group C compared to that in group A (One-way ANOVA, P < 0.001)
These results indicate that green tea powder and mulberry leaf powder as feed additives in chicken diet greatly alter the alpha diversity of the chicken gut microbiota
Summary
The gut microbiota is closely correlated with host health and is strongly influenced by food composition. The present study assessed the influence of diet supplementation with green tea and mulberry leaf powders on the chicken gut microbiota. The gut microbiota compositions were determined using 16S rDNA sequencing. The gut microbiota comprises the resident microorganisms in the digestive tract of the host. The gut microbiota is closely linked with host health and disease status [1,2,3]. A large body of research has demonstrated that diet influences the composition of animal gut microbiota. Dogs fed on a natural diet have more diverse and abundant microbial compositions in the gut microbiota than dogs fed with commercial feed [4]. Essential oil supplementation exerts a positive effect on intestinal microbiota in Ross broilers [7]
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