Dietary Probiotics Modulate Gut Barrier and Immune-Related Gene Expression and Histomorphology in Broiler Chickens under Non- and Pathogen-Challenged Conditions: A Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Simple Summary The supplementation of diets for broiler chickens has increased due to the increasing demand of consumers for antibiotic-free broiler products. Nevertheless, the benefits of probiotics for intestinal barrier and immune functions, as well as on growth performance in chickens, are still controversially discussed. In performing a meta-analysis, we found that dietary supplementation with probiotics of various genera/species can enforce intestinal barrier function. Moreover, our meta-regressions indicated that in pathogen-challenged birds, probiotics might effectively help reduce gut inflammation by suppressing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Probiotics further sustained the intestinal histomorphology and hence digestive and absorptive processes in challenged and non-challenged chickens. Abstract Data published in the literature about the favorable effects of dietary probiotics on gut health in broiler chickens are inconsistent. To obtain a more comprehensive understanding, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the effects of probiotics on the gut barrier and immune-related gene expression, histomorphology, and growth in chickens that were either challenged or non-challenged with pathogens. From the 54 articles published between 2012 and 2022, subsets of data, separately for non-challenged and challenged conditions, for response variables were created. The mean dietary probiotic concentrations ranged from 4.7 to 6.2 and 4.7 to 7.2 log10…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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