Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of oat beta-glucan supplementation on metabolic, physiological, immunological and nutritional variables in adult dogs. Fourteen dogs were fed a control diet or a diet supplemented with 1% beta-glucan during 71 days. Serum concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol and lipoprotein fractions, as well as plasma concentrations of peptide YY and ghrelin, were determined. In addition, coefficient of total tract apparent macronutrient digestibility (CTTAD), food intake and fecal output, score, and pH were evaluated. For evaluation of immunological variables, serum concentrations of interleukin-4 and interferon gamma were determined on days 0, 57 and 71, which corresponded to blood collection prior to beta-glucan supplementation, and at 7 and 14 days post first and second dose of vaccination (Pneumodog®, Merial, Campinas, Brazil), respectively. Animals fed the supplemented diet showed (P<0.05) lower serum concentrations of total cholesterol and low and very low density lipoproteins, lower coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, mineral matter and ether extract, higher fecal output and lower fecal consistency, as well as a tendency (P = 0.07) of decreasing the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility of crude protein. Moreover, the supplemented diet resulted in lower number of red blood cells, hematocrit percentage and hemoglobin concentration 21 days post-vaccination as well as lower serum concentration of interleukin-4 seven days post-vaccination (P<0.05). It is concluded that oat beta-glucan extract can be used as a dietary supplement for dogs at a dose of 10 g/kg of food, being effective in reducing blood concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-c and VLDL-c as well as CTTAD of nutrients, demonstrating a potential to be used in the feeding of obese animals. In addition, by reducing the predominance of a Th2 response, oat beta-glucan can positively modulate the vaccine response of animals.
Highlights
Beta-glucans represent one of the major structural components of the cell wall of fungi, yeasts, and cereals, as well as some bacteria and algae [1]
Beta-glucans are presented as linear polysaccharides, in which glucose monomers are bound by β-(1,3) and β-(1,4) linkages and are mainly found in barley, oats and wheat [2–4]
The use of a commercial yeast cell wall preparation, a product that has beta-(1,3),(1,6)-glucan in its composition, as a dietary supplement for dogs in amounts ranging from 0% to 0.65%, led to a cubic response of the coefficient of total tract apparent macronutrient digestibility (CTTAD) of Dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and EE [29]
Summary
Beta-glucans represent one of the major structural components of the cell wall of fungi, yeasts, and cereals, as well as some bacteria and algae [1]. Beta-glucans are presented as linear polysaccharides, in which glucose monomers are bound by β-(1,3) and β-(1,4) linkages and are mainly found in barley, oats and wheat [2–4] This structural organization confers water solubility to beta-glucans, which are classified as soluble fibers [5]. For this reason, several studies with humans [6, 7] and mice [8, 9] have evaluated the ability of beta-(1,3)-(1,4)-glucan to positively influence physiological and metabolic processes in the body such as satiety stimulation, reduction of blood glucose and cholesterol concentrations and body weight reduction. The effects of diet supplementation with purified preparations of this kind of beta-glucan on dogs have not yet been proven
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