Abstract
Early colonization of intestinal microbiota plays an important role in intestinal development. However, the microbial succession at an embryonic stage and its assembly patterns induced by prenatal nutrition are unknown. In the present study, we used a chick embryo model to investigate the effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of L-arginine (Arg) on the intestinal development and microbial succession of embryos. A total of 216 fertile eggs were randomly distributed into 2 groups including the non-injected control group and IOF of Arg group with 7 mg/egg. The results showed that IOF Arg increased the intestinal index, absolute weight of jejunum, and improved jejunal morphology in terms of villus width and surface area (p < 0.05). The relative mRNA expressions of mTOR and 4E-BP1 were up-regulated and accompanied by higher contents of Mucin-2 in the Arg group (p < 0.05). There was a significant elevation in contents of serum glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, whereas there was a decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the Arg group (p < 0.05). Additionally, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were major intestinal bacteria species at the embryonic stage. However, Arg supplementation targeted to shape assembly patterns of microbial succession and then changed microbial composition (p = 0.05). Meanwhile, several short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria, such as Roseburia, Blautia, and Ruminococcus were identified as biomarkers in the Arg group (LDA > 3, p < 0.05). Accordingly, significant elevated concentrations of SCFAs, including lactic acid and formic acid, were observed in the Arg group (p < 0.05), accompanied by the higher concentration of butyric acid (0.05 < p < 0.10). In conclusion, prenatal Arg supplementation improved embryonic intestine development by regulating glucose and lipid homeostasis to supply more energy for chick embryos. The possible mechanism could be the roles of Arg in shaping the microbial assembly pattern and succession of the embryonic intestine, particularly the enrichment of potential probiotics. These findings may contribute to exploring nutritional strategies to establish health-promoting microbiota by manipulating prenatal host-microbe interactions for the healthy development of neonates.
Highlights
Intestinal development has the potential to be a determinant for the lifelong health of a host
Significant differences in the index of total intestine and hatchability were not found between non-injected control group (NC) and Arg groups (p > 0.05)
Prenatal nutrition is involved in embryonic development and neonatal growth, realizing the potential to be the main determinant of lifelong health for the host [20]
Summary
Intestinal development has the potential to be a determinant for the lifelong health of a host. The initial stage of microbial colonization is regarded as a focus on modulating intestinal health to avoid poor nutrient availability, pathogen infection, and higher mortality in early postnatal life [7, 8]. Owing to resilience and stability in the microbial ecosystem [9, 10], clarifying the early colonization characteristics of microbiota is crucial to explore appropriate intervention methods. It was previously thought that chick embryos were sterile and that the initial intestinal microbiota originated from a post-hatch environment [11]. Recent studies have reported the presence of diverse microbes in chick embryos using 16S rRNA sequencing technology [12,13,14,15]. There is little information concerning the effects of an exogenous intervention on embryonic microbiota at present
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