Effects of butyric acid glycerol ester supplementation on intestinal nutrient transporter and immune-related genes in broiler chickens challenged with Eimeria maxima

Authors: Kpodo, Kouassi; MILLIKEN, DANIEL - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Miska, Katarzyna; Schreier, Lori; Proszkowiec-Wegla, Monika

Submitted to: Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2024
Publication Date: 1/22/2025
Citation: Kpodo, K.R., Milliken, D.J., Miska, K.B., Schreier, L.L., Proszkowiec-Wegla, M.K. 2025. Effects of butyric acid glycerol ester supplementation on intestinal nutrient transporter and immune-related genes in broiler chickens challenged with Eimeria maxima. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1501286.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1501286

Interpretive Summary: The poultry industry is threatened by coccidiosis, a disease caused by intestinal parasites known as Eimeria. These parasites damage the intestinal wall and cause diarrhea in chickens. As a result, infected chickens do not digest their feed well, lose appetite and weight, and die in extreme cases. Traditionally, coccidiosis has been controlled using anticoccidial drugs; however, due to resistance to these drugs, alternative control strategies are needed. The objective of this study was to determine if butyric acid glycerol ester (BE), an organic acid that has been shown to improve intestinal health, can reduce the negative impacts of coccidiosis in chickens. Chickens were fed a diet supplemented with BE from hatch and infected with Eimeria at 21 days of age. At 7 and 10 days post-infection, tissues from two intestinal segments (jejunum and ileum) were collected to determine the effects of BE on the expression of nutrient (sugars, amino acids, and small peptides) transporter and immune (immunoglobulins, cytokines, and receptors) related genes. The results showed that Eimeria infection reduced the expression of nutrient transporter and immune-related genes in the jejunum and ileum mostly at 7 day post-infection. Although BE increased the expression of some genes in non-infected chickens, its supplementation did not prevent the reduction in gene expression caused by Eimeria infection. Regardless, these results will allow us to explore different doses of BE alone to optimize its inclusion levels or in combination with other compounds against coccidiosis in different intestinal segments of broiler chickens.

Technical Abstract: Coccidiosis negatively affects intestinal health and digestive functions; however, whether butyric acid glycerol ester (BE) can mitigate these negative effects in broiler chickens is unknown. The study objective was to determine the effects of BE on nutrient transporter and intestinal immune genes in Eimeria maxima (EM)-infected chickens. Ross male chicks were fed diets supplemented with 0 or 0.25% of BE. On day 21, half the chickens from each group were infected with 0 or 103 EM oocysts creating 4 treatment groups (-BE-EM, -BE+EM, +BE-EM, and +BE+EM; n=6/group). Jejunal and ileal tissues were collected at days 7 and 10 post infection (PI). Eimeria maxima infection reduced (P = 0.02) nutrient transporter genes EAAT3, PEPT2, BoAT, GLUT2, GLUT5, and SGLT1 at days 7 PI in the jejunum and ileum, and EAAT3, PEPT1, PEPT2, and BoAT at day 10 PI in the jejunum. The supplementation of BE increased CAT1 in the jejunum and PEPT1, GLUT2, and GLUT5 (P = 0.04) in the ileum at day 10 PI. A BE x EM interaction was observed (P = 0.02) where GLUT1 and GLUT2 were increased in the jejunum of +BE-EM chickens at day 10 PI. Among the immune-related genes, EM reduced (P = 0.0001) IgA in jejunum but increased (P = 0.004) TGF-ß4 in the jejunum and ileum at day 7 PI. The expression of pIgR was reduced while TLR2 and TLR4 were increased in -BE+EM compared to -BE-EM chickens at day 7 PI. In addition, IgA was increased (P = 0.01) in the ileum of +BE-EM compared -BE-EM chickens at day 10 PI. Eimeria maxima reduced nutrient transporters and immune-related genes in the jejunum and ileum of chickens. Although, BE increased the expression of some genes in non-challenged chickens, its supplementation did not prevent the reduction in expression of genes caused by EM infection.