Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Oxidative Status by β-Carotene in Late Pregnant Sows.

Xupeng Yuan,Jiahao Yan,Ruizhi Hu,Jianhua He,Yanli Li,Shusong Wu,De-Xing Hou,Hui Chen,Ying Wang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.612875

Abstract

Recent evidences suggest that gut microbiota plays an important role in regulating physiological and metabolic activities of pregnant sows, and β-carotene has a potentially positive effect on reproduction, but the impact of β-carotene on gut microbiota in pregnant sows remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanisms of β-carotene on the reproductive performance of sows from the aspect of gut microbiota. A total of 48 hybrid pregnant sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) with similar parity were randomly allocated into three groups (n = 16) and fed with a basal diet or a diet containing 30 or 90 mg/kg of β-carotene from day 90 of gestation until parturition. Dietary supplementation of 30 or 90 mg/kg β-carotene increased the number of live birth to 11.82 ± 1.54 and 12.29 ± 2.09, respectively, while the control group was 11.00 ± 1.41 (P = 0.201). Moreover, β-carotene increased significantly the serum nitric oxide (NO) level and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.05). Characterization of fecal microbiota revealed that 90 mg/kg β-carotene increased the diversity of the gut flora (P < 0.05). In particular, β-carotene decreased the relative abundance of Firmicutes including Lachnospiraceae AC2044 group, Lachnospiraceae NK4B4 group and Ruminococcaceae UCG-008, but enriched Proteobacteria including Bilophila and Sutterella, and Actinobacteria including Corynebacterium and Corynebacterium 1 which are related to NO synthesis. These data demonstrated that dietary supplementation of β-carotene may increase antioxidant enzyme activity and NO, an important vasodilator to promote the neonatal blood circulation, through regulating gut microbiota in sows.

Highlights

Beta-(β-)carotene is a widely distributed phytochromes [1], and is generally considered as a precursor of vitamin A [2, 3]
As progressive oxidative stress plays a negative role during the perinatal period, the oxidative stress markers including Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), GSH-Px, and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) were measured in the serum of sows
No significant differences were observed in the levels of T-AOC (A), MDA (B), and T-SOD (D) among the three groups (P > 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Beta-(β-)carotene is a widely distributed phytochromes [1], and is generally considered as a precursor of vitamin A [2, 3]. It belongs to the fat-soluble substance which is incorporated into chylomicrons and absorbed in the intestine through passive diffusion [4]. The importance of vitamin A in female reproductive health has been well-documented [6]. The secretion of pregnancy hormones is linked to serum β-carotene concentrations, indicating that β-carotene can play an important role in reproduction [8, 9]

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