and eventually will affect the systemic homeostasis that is re- sponsible for the entire body, thus affecting growth and per- formance. A physiological inflammation may even turn into a pathological inflammation if not managed correctly. To return to physiological homeostasis: inflammation relies on signal- ling pathways induced by innate immune receptors, with pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in an induced immune response in animals. This response is stimulated by macro- phages, following activation by bacterial infection, toxins, tissue injury or even excessive nutrients and metabolites.
Research A trial at the University of Turin, Italy studied the expression of intestinal inflammatory cytokines in 3-day-old broiler chickens. The results (Table 1) suggest that the dietary inclu- sion of Alphasoy Gold (ASG) in the first three days of life will down-regulate IFN-γ, TNF- α and IL-2, while it won’t change the expression of IL4 in the gut of broiler chicks. The IFN-γ, TNF- α and IL-2 are all defined as pro-inflammatory cytokines as they trigger inflammation. Conversely, IL-4 is an anti-in- flammatory cytokine which promotes T-helper 2 lymphocyte development and inhibits the synthesis of lipopolysaccha- ride-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines. The significant down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines with no im- pact on IL-4 expression in this experiment can be considered as a unique epigenetic ‘signature’ in the animal’s very early stage of life with a possible positive lifelong effect. Alphasoy Gold (ASG) is a highly digestible and consistent functional ingredient for young poultry chicks, designed and manufactured by AB-Neo. The unique thermo-mechanical and enzyme-facilitated production process considerably reduces resistant protein and increases fast-digestible pro- tein, thus improving protein digestion kinetics in the gut. Additionally, the soybean meal carbohydrate profile is altered in the ASG process, unlocking around 16% more energy
( compared to standard SBM), while the bio-active compo- nents support the development of an optimum gut environ- ment by creating good conditions for the effective digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as uniquely modulating the bird’s immune system.
Table 1 – Effects of dietary ASG inclusion on the relative mRNA expression of cytokine-related genes in the duodenum and jejunum of 3-day-old broiler chicks (n=4/dietary treatment).
Diet (D) C1
IL-2,4 IL-4,4
mean mean
INF-γ,4 TNF-α,4
mean mean
1.267a 1.008 1.103a 1.025a
1 Control Diet (No ASG in diet)
2 Treatment 1 – 20% ASG in Pre-starter (0-3 days); 10% ASG in Starter (4-10 days); 5% ASG in Grower (11-24 days); 0% ASG in Finisher (25-35 days) 3 Treatment 2 – 5% ASG in Pre-starter (0-3 days); 5% ASG in Starter (4-10 days); 5% ASG in Grower (11-24 days); 0% ASG in Finisher (25-35 days)
Changes in each gene expression were normalised to ß-actin and GADPH. IFN = interferon; IL = interleukin; TNF = tumour necrosis factor; SEM= standard error of the mean. Means with superscript letters (a, b) denote significant differences between the dietary treatments and the gut segments.
4 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 2, 2022 21 T12
0.460b 0.510 0.449b 0.631b
T23
0.464b 0.571 0.525b 0.612b
Intestinal segment (IS) DU
JE
0.520a 0.272a 0.404a 0.448a
0.984b 1.110b 0.981b 1.064b
D
0.16 0.13 0.11 0.06
SEM IS
0.12 0.11 0.09 0.05
D
0.054 0.423 0.020 0.005
P-value IS
0.038 0.010 0.001 0.001
D x IS 0.083 0.240 0.058 0.001
Changes in the epigenome early in life can impact life- time health & performance.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/AB NEO
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