Effect of Fermented Corn-Soybean Meal on Serum Immunity, the Expression of Genes Related to Gut Immunity, Gut Microbiota, and Bacterial Metabolites in Grower-Finisher Pigs

Study information

Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-6

study design

laboratory experiment

Citation

PMID PubMed identifier for scientific articles.

31824447

DOI Digital object identifier for electronic documents.

10.3389/fmicb.2019.02620

URI Uniform resource identifier for web resources.

Authors

Lu J, Zhang X, Liu Y, Cao H, Han Q, Xie B, Fan L, Li X, Hu J, Yang G, Shi X

Journal

Frontiers in microbiology

Year

2019

Keywords:

corn-soybean meal, fermented feed, immunity, metabolite, microbiota, pig

Fermented corn-soybean meal (fermented feed, FF) is commonly used in swine production, but the effects of FF on gut health remain unclear. In this study, serum immunity, mRNA abundances of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and Toll-like receptors (TLR1-9), bacterial abundance in the duodenum and colon, and colonic metabolic phenotypes were determined in crossbred barrows (Duroc × Landrace × Large White) fed FF or normal feed (unfermented feed, UF) (n = 6). When compared to the UF group, the results showed that serum levels of IgG and IgM were significantly increased in FF group pigs (P < 0.05). FF significantly decreased the abundances of Bacteroides and Verrucomicrobia in the duodenum and decreased the abundances of Bacteroides, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia in the colon while it significantly increased the abundances of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a Spearman's correlation analysis showed that serum immunity and the expression of genes related to gut immunity were associated with bacterial strains at the family level. Moreover, differentially abundant colonic microbiota were associated with colonic metabolites. LC-MS data analyses identified a total of 1,351 metabolites that markedly differed between the UF and FF groups. C5-Branched dibasic acid metabolism was significantly upregulated whereas the purine metabolism was significantly downregulated (P < 0.05) in the colonic digesta of pigs in the FF meal group compared to the UF meal group. Collectively, these results indicated that FF meal could influence serum immunity and the expression of genes related to gut immunity, correlating with the gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites in grower-finisher pigs. This study may provide an alternative strategy for improving the intestinal health of grower-finisher pigs.

Experiment 1

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Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-6

Curated date: 2025/05/05

Curator: Tosin

Revision editor(s): Tosin

Subjects

Location of subjects: China

Host species Species from which microbiome was sampled. Contact us to have more species added.: Sus scrofa domesticus

Body site Anatomical site where microbial samples were extracted from according to the Uber Anatomy Ontology: Colon Hindgut,Large bowel,Posterior intestine,Colon,colon

Condition The experimental condition / phenotype studied according to the Experimental Factor Ontology: Response to diet Response to diet,response to diet

Group 0 name Corresponds to the control (unexposed) group for case-control studies: UF (Unfermented feed/control group)

Group 1 name Corresponds to the case (exposed) group for case-control studies: FF (Fermented feed group)

Group 1 definition Diagnostic criteria applied to define the specific condition / phenotype represented in the case (exposed) group: Group fed with fermented complete commercial soybean meal (FF)

Group 0 sample size Number of subjects in the control (unexposed) group: 6

Group 1 sample size Number of subjects in the case (exposed) group: 6

Lab analysis

Sequencing type: 16S

16S variable region One or more hypervariable region(s) of the bacterial 16S gene: V4-V5

Sequencing platform Manufacturer and experimental platform used for quantifying microbial abundance: Illumina

Statistical Analysis

Data transformation Data transformation applied to microbial abundance measurements prior to differential abundance testing (if any).: relative abundances

Statistical test: T-Test

Significance threshold p-value or FDR threshold used for differential abundance testing (if any): 0.05

MHT correction Have statistical tests be corrected for multiple hypothesis testing (MHT)?: No

Alpha Diversity

Shannon Estimator of species richness and species evenness: more weight on species richness: unchanged

Chao1 Abundance-based estimator of species richness: unchanged

Simpson Estimator of species richness and species evenness: more weight on species evenness: unchanged

Richness Number of species: unchanged

Signature 1

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Source: Table 6, Table 8

Description: Relative abundance of microbial phylum and Family (percentage) in the colon of pigs in the FF and control groups.

Abundance in Group 1: increased abundance in FF (Fermented feed group)

NCBI	Quality Control	Links
Actinomycetota
Bacillota
Christensenellaceae
Oscillospiraceae
Rikenellaceae
Family XIIIFamily XIII

Revision editor(s): Tosin

Signature 2

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Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-6

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Revision editor(s): Tosin

Source: Table 6, Table 8

Description: Relative abundance of microbial phylum and family (percentage) in the colon of pigs in the FF and control groups.

Abundance in Group 1: decreased abundance in FF (Fermented feed group)

NCBI	Quality Control	Links
Acidaminococcaceae
Alcaligenaceae
Anaeroplasmataceae
Bacteroidaceae
Bacteroidota
Erysipelotrichaceae
Fibrobacteraceae
Lachnospiraceae
Peptostreptococcaceae
Prevotellaceae
Pseudomonadota
Rhodospirillaceae
Streptococcaceae
Succinivibrionaceae
Veillonellaceae
Verrucomicrobiota
unclassified Thermoplasmatales
Clostridiaceae_1Clostridiaceae_1
Bacteroidales RF16 groupBacteroidales RF16 group
Clostridiales vadinBB60 groupClostridiales vadinBB60 group

Revision editor(s): Tosin

Experiment 2

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Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-6-6

Curated date: 2025/05/05

Curator: Tosin

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Differences from previous experiment shown

Subjects

Body site Anatomical site where microbial samples were extracted from according to the Uber Anatomy Ontology: Duodenum Proximal intestine,Upper intestine,Duodenum,duodenum