The gut microbiome of kittens is affected by dietary protein: carbohydrate ratio and correlated with blood metabolite and hormone concentrations

Abstract

This study was conducted to test the effects of dietary protein: carbohydrate ratio on the composition of the gut microbiota using 454 pyrosequencing and identify associations with blood metabolites of growing kittens. Male domestic shorthair kittens were raised by mothers fed moderate‐protein, moderate‐carbohydrate (MPMC; n=7) or high‐protein, low‐carbohydrate (HPLC; n=7) diets. Fasted blood samples were collected and analyzed for blood metabolites and hormones. Pyrosequencing resulted in a total of 384,588 sequences, with an average of 9,374 sequences per sample. A dual hierarchical clustering dendogram of the most abundant bacterial genera indicated distinct clustering of samples based on protein:carbohydrate ratio. The principal component analysis of fecal bacterial families, blood metabolites, and hormones resulted in 4 distinct clusters. One cluster included blood triglycerides and fecal Clostridiaceae, Eubacteriaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, and Lachnospiraceae. A second cluster consisted of blood ghrelin and fecal Coriobacteriaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, and Veillonellaceae. A third cluster consisted of blood glucose, cholesterol, and leptin and fecal Lactobacillaceae. The strong correlations between blood hormones and metabolites and well‐known probiotic bacterial families indicate potential significance as it pertains to satiety and host metabolism.Grant Funding Source : United States Department of Agriculture‐Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (project ILLU‐538‐396)