title: Immunomodulation in gut-associated lymphoid tissue of neonatal chicks by immunobiotic diets.
abstract: Developmental changes in immunocompetent cells of the gut during the first week posthatch were determined in broiler chicks fed immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria in the form of Lactobacillus jensenii TL2937-, Lactobacillus gasseri JCM1131(T)-, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus NIAIB6-, or L. gasseri TL2919-supplemented diets. The relative weights of spleen and bursa of Fabricius in chicks fed the immunobiotic diets were slightly higher than the control valued at 1 and 3 d of age, with the exception of spleen weight in the L. gasseri JCM1131(T) at 3 d of age, the bursa of Fabricius weight in the L. gasseri JCM1131(T) at 1 and 3 d of age, and bursa of Fabricius weight in the L. gasseri TL2919 group at 1 d of age. There were no significant differences in body and liver weights among the treatments. When chicks were fed the L. jensenii TL2937- or L. gasseri TL2919-supplemented diets, expression of T cell-related mRNA [cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)] in the foregut was significantly higher than that of control chicks at 3 or 7 d of age. Expression levels of toll-like receptor (TLR) mRNA tended to increase in the foregut of chicks fed the immunobiotic diets, except for the L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus NIAIB6, compared with expression levels in control chicks. The Bu-1 mRNA expression levels in the bursa of Fabricius were not affected by the supplementations with immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria. These results show that immunobiotics, particularly L. gasseri TL2919, might be useful as immunomodulators to stimulate the gut-associated immune system in neonatal chicks, and thereby protect them from disease without decreasing growth performance as a possible substitution of antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Production, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan. satokan@cc.tuat.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tohno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitazawa
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D007778:Lactobacillus; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors