Research Note: Exploratory analysis of temporal changes in ceca and plasma metabolite profiles of broiler chickens utilizing untargeted metabolomics

Authors: Campos, Philip; Miska, Katarzyna; Kpodo, Kouassi; Proszkowiec-Wegla, Monika

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/16/2026
Publication Date: 7/16/2026
Citation: Campos, P.M., Miska, K.B., Kpodo, K.R., Proszkowiec-Wegla, M.K. 2026. Research Note: Exploratory analysis of temporal changes in ceca and plasma metabolite profiles of broiler chickens utilizing untargeted metabolomics. Poultry Science. 105(11). Article e107454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107454.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107454

Interpretive Summary: Broiler chickens grow very quickly, and scientists want to understand how their gut and the microbes living in it affect their health. This study looked at the chemicals (metabolites) in the chickens’ gut and blood during their first 10 days of life, a period when the gut microbiome changes rapidly. Researchers used a technique called metabolomics to measure many metabolites at once. They found that most gut changes happened between day 1 and day 3, while blood metabolites changed more slowly through day 10. Several metabolites linked to growth, including 5-Glutamyl-taurine and stachyose, increased sharply in the gut. These results show how early-life gut development may influence growth and health. The work also demonstrates that metabolomics is a powerful tool for studying gut health in young chickens and connecting it to changes in the microbiome.

Technical Abstract: The gastrointestinal tract and gut microbiota within are researched for their impact on the health and performance of broiler chickens, which are selected for rapid growth rate to meet demand. Untargeted metabolomics is one method that can potentially link changes in the gut microbiota to changes in metabolites and assist in revealing mechanisms affecting health outcomes. In this study, untargeted metabolomics via Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was performed to characterize changes in ceca and plasma metabolite profiles during the broiler’s early development (d 1, 3, and 10 post-hatch), a time period known for rapid development in the cecal microbiota. PCA, PLS-DA, OPLS-DA, and fold change analyses revealed shifts in metabolite profiles and individual metabolites over time. The results suggested that shifts in cecal metabolites occurred mostly from d 1 to d 3, while plasma metabolites shifted more gradually from d 1 to d 10. Metabolites potentially influential to growth, such as 5-Glutamyl-taurine and stachyose, greatly increased in concentration in the ceca. These findings show promise in utilization of metabolomics for time-dependent studies on broiler chicken gut health and integration with gut microbiota analysis.