Use of a microbial endocrinology designed dopamine-producing probiotic to control gut neurochemical levels associated with the development of gut inflammation

Authors: LYTE, MARK - Iowa State University; DANIELS, KARRIE - Iowa State University; Byrd Ii, James; Genovese, Kenneth; Swaggerty, Christina; Kogut, Michael

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2025
Publication Date: 3/13/2025
Citation: Lyte, M., Daniels, K., Byrd II, J.A., Genovese, K.J., Swaggerty, C.L., Kogut, M.H. 2025. Use of a microbial endocrinology designed dopamine-producing probiotic to control gut neurochemical levels associated with the development of gut inflammation. Poultry Science. 104(5). Article 105028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105028.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105028

Interpretive Summary: Until recently, poultry producers have relied on antibiotics to compensate for potential poor husbandry and management issues. However, with the removal of growth-promoting antimicrobials in poultry feed, intestinal inflammation has become more of an issue worldwide. For the poultry producer, chronic low-grade intestinal inflammation has a negative impact on the productivity of the poultry operation by impairing its ability to absorb nutrients and reaching 100% of the birds' growth and genetic potential. A baby chick model was developed that mimics this inflammation by using a diet that has a lot of rice bran in it. This rice diet irritated the guts of the chicks so they did not eat as much feed as you would expect which also resulted in a smaller weight gain. The baby chicks were then fed a unique probiotic that removes this chemical in the intestine which activates an inflammatory response when feeding this rice diet. It was found that the probiotic eliminated the inflammatory chemical from the chicks' guts. This treatment allowed the chicks to eat their food normally and grow. This is important for chicken growers because without the growth promoters in the diet, this dietary stress results in birds that do not eat like they should, not gain the weight that they should, and may make them more susceptible to germs that cause infections in the bird and in humans that eat chicken products. This treatment could improve the chicks' appetites, and also could reduce the potential for bad germs to infect the chicks as well.

Technical Abstract: Neurochemicals, such as the catecholamines, serve as critical regulators controlling the immune response in the pathogenesis of inflammation. Overproduction of one of these neurochemicals, namely norepinephrine, has been previously shown to occur concomitant to the development of diet-induced gut inflammation. As a pro-inflammatory neuroimmune modulatory chemical, norepinephrine can dysregulate the immune response to inflammation. To ameliorate the increased production of norepinephrine, we have utilized a microbial endocrinology-based approach that utilizes an Enterococcus faecium probiotic to produce the anti-inflammatory neurochemical dopamine. As shown in the present study, the feed incorporated E. faecium probiotic converts the precursor L-dopa to dopamine with high efficiency to produce significant amounts of dopamine within the gastrointestinal tract. In broiler feeding trials utilizing a high non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) inflammation-inducing diet in combination or not with L-dopa alone or in combination with the dopamine-producing E. faecium probiotic, the inflammation diet induced a large increase in norepinephrine concomitant to the development of inflammation that was abrogated in the groups fed the L-dopa precursor in combination with the dopamine-converting E. faecium. Less, though still significant, amelioration of the norepinephrine increase was achieved in the group only fed the L-dopa precursor. The present report represents the first use of a dopamine-producing probiotic to mechanistically influence the production of another neurochemical that is intimately involved in the pathophysiology of gut inflammation. As such, this study demonstrates that the use of microbial endocrinology-designed probiotic can serve as a means by which to prevent and/or control the development of gut inflammation in poultry.