Beta-Glucans Improve the Mammary Innate Immune Response to Endotoxin Challenge in Dairy Ewes
Barley grains contain a variable amount of biologically active compounds such as β-glucans (BGs) which are important in nutrition due to their relationship with improvements of the immune system and resistance against pathogens. Although barley is a cereal widely used in the diet of ruminants, to ou...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ddd.uab.cat:304220 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/304220 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/ani14203023 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Β-glucans Immunity LPS challenge Barley Dairy sheep |
| Sumario: | Barley grains contain a variable amount of biologically active compounds such as β-glucans (BGs) which are important in nutrition due to their relationship with improvements of the immune system and resistance against pathogens. Although barley is a cereal widely used in the diet of ruminants, to our best knowledge, there are no studies on the effect of using barley BG as a functional feed ingredient for modulating the immune system in ruminants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term immune responses of dairy ewes supplemented with barley BG when submitted to an intramammary lipopolysaccharide challenge. The results showed the potentiality of barley BG as a biological agent to induce immune activation of dairy ewes against E. coli endotoxin. However, further studies should be performed to support our findings. This study evaluated short-term immune responses of dairy ewes supplemented with barley β-glucan (BG) following an intramammary Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. In the adaptation period, 36 ewes were fed an alfalfa hay diet ad libitum and barley grain cv. Hispanic (3.8% BG). Then, ewes were assigned into three experimental groups: (1) Control (CON), the same previous diet (13.3 g BG/d); (2) high β-glucans barley (HBG), new barley (cv. Annapurna) containing 10% BG (35 g BG/d); (3) intraperitoneally injected (INP) with a 1.4% BG solution dose (2 g BG/ewe). At d 9, all ewes were infused with an E. coli LPS or saline solution in each udder half. After the challenge, rectal temperature (RT), milk yield and composition, somatic cell count (SCC), and plasma interleukins (IL-1α and IL-1β) were monitored daily. The INP treatment revealed a transitory increase in RT and decreased milk yield by 38%. Milk fat, protein, and SCC increased in LPS-treated udders but not by BG treatment. The IL-1α plasma concentration was similar among groups but INP ewes showed a lower IL-1β concentration suggesting a lower inflammatory response. The BG administration appears more effective intraperitoneally than orally, which needs additional study. |
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