Xylo-Oligosaccharides Improve Feed Efficiency in Broiler Chickens by Slowing Down Jejunum Cell Activity/Turnover

Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) are xylose-based oligomers, which have been described to affect the gut microflora, and gut function in chickens (Zhou et al., 2021). This, in turn, may have an impact on intestinal epithelial cell turnover, which accounts for a significant part of the energy of maintenance required by the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary XOS on gut function and epithelial cell turnover in broiler chickens. It was hypothesized that XOS would improve gut health and reduce maintenance requirements associated with cell renewal in the small intestine.

A total of 128 one-day-old broiler chickens were assigned to a corn/soy-based mash diet with or without supplementation of XOS (0.5%). Each treatment was randomly distributed across eight pens (n=8). Performance parameters were recorded weekly. On day 42, one chicken per pen was euthanizsed and jejunum samples collected for proteomic analysis. Samples were processed with FASP and SWATH methods. Performance data was analyzed using a t-test in R (RStudio, Inc., USA). Proteomic data was analyzed using MSstats in R. Functional enrichment analysis was performed in DAVID Bioinformatics Resources. The results showed that XOS supplementation improved feed efficiency (P < 0.05) from day 1 to 42 compared to the control group (1.73 ± 0.01 vs 1.82 ± 0.04). During that period, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between XOS supplemented and control group for ADG (58.1 ± 0.87 vs 57.4 ± 0.69) and ADFI (100.6 ± 1.6 vs 104.5 ± 2.2). The proteome analysis uncovered 346 differentially abundant proteins (DAP) associated with XOS supplementation, of which 310 showed a significant (P < 0.05) lower abundance. These DAP translated into decreased activities in several biological pathways involved in cell migration and energy metabolism in the jejunum, including a lower actin filament-based movement, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis (Table 1). Overall, decreased cell metabolism together with improved feed efficiency indicated a lower maintenance requirement reflecting slower epithelial cell turnover.

In conclusion, dietary XOS supplementation improves feed efficiency by reducing cell activity (interpreted as lower cell turnover) in the gut epithelia in broiler chickens.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This study has been partially funded by AB Vista.