Compound probiotics alleviate cadmium-induced intestinal dysfunction and microbiota disorders in broilers

Shuqiu Yang; Zhonghua Xiong; Tianfang Xu; Chengcheng Peng; Aiming Hu; Wenjuan Jiang; Zhiwei Xiong; Yunhui Wu; Fan Yang; Huabin Cao

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113374

Compound probiotics alleviate cadmium-induced intestinal dysfunction and microbiota disorders in broilers

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2022 Apr 1:234:113374. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113374. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Authors

Shuqiu Yang¹, Zhonghua Xiong¹, Tianfang Xu², Chengcheng Peng³, Aiming Hu⁴, Wenjuan Jiang², Zhiwei Xiong¹, Yunhui Wu¹, Fan Yang⁵, Huabin Cao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101 Zhimin Avenue, Economic, and Technological Development District, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, PR China.
² Jiangxi Agricultural Technology Extension Center, Nanchang 330096, Jiangxi, PR China.
³ Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101 Zhimin Avenue, Economic, and Technological Development District, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, PR China; Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, 257 Liu-shi Road, Liuzhou 545005, Guangxi, PR China.
⁴ Ji'an Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau, No. 4 Luzhou West Road, Jizhou District, Ji'an City 343000, Jiangxi, PR China.
⁵ Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101 Zhimin Avenue, Economic, and Technological Development District, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, PR China. Electronic address: yfan@jxau.edu.cn.
⁶ Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Animal Health, Institute of Animal Population Health, College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101 Zhimin Avenue, Economic, and Technological Development District, Nanchang 330045, Jiangxi, PR China. Electronic address: chbin20020804@jxau.edu.cn.

PMID: 35272191
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113374

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd), a common environmental pollutant, seriously threatens the health of intestine. This research aimed to investigate the effects of compound probiotics (CP) on intestinal dysfunction and cecal microbiota dysregulation induced by Cd in broilers. A total of 240 1-day-old Arbor Acre (AA) broilers were randomly assigned to four groups. After 120 days of feeding, the jejunum tissues and cecal contents were sampled for jejunum histopathological observation, the intestinal barrier and inflammatory factors related mRNA and proteins examinations, and intestinal microbiota analysis. The results showed that Cd could cause jejunal villus damage and inflammatory cells infiltration, down-regulate the mRNA levels of intestinal barrier related genes (ZO-1, ZO-2, ZO-3, Claudin1, Claudin3, Claudin4, Occludin, and E-cadherin) and inflammatory factor related genes (IL-1β, IL-18, IFN-γ, NF-κB), and the protein levels of Claudin1, ZO-1, Occludin, but up-regulate the Claudin2, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA levels. However, the addition of CP could effectively improve these changes. In addition, 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed that compared with the Cd group, supplementation CP increased the abundance of Lactobacillales, Clostridiales, Firmicutes, together with regulations on the pathways responsible for energy metabolism, translation and amino acid metabolism. In conclusion, CP could improve intestinal barrier damage and intestinal microbiota disturbance induced by Cd.

Keywords: Broiler; Cadmium; Compound probiotics; Intestinal barrier; Microbiota.