Conclusion
In conclusion, yeast peptides have shown promise in mitigating LPS-induced intestinal barrier damage in rabbits through their anti-inflammatory effects, modulation of the gut microbiota, and maintenance of intestinal tight junctions.
Methods
A total of 160 35-day-old Hyla line rabbits (0.96 ± 0.06 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 groups. These groups constituted a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: basal diet (CON), 100 mg/kg yeast peptide diet (YP), LPS challenge + basal diet (LPS), LPS challenge +100 mg/kg yeast peptide diet (L-YP). The experiment spanned 35 days, encompassing a 7-day pre-feeding period and a 28-day formal trial.
Results
The results indicated that yeast peptides mitigated the intestinal barrier damage induced by LPS, as evidenced by a significant reduction in serum Diamine oxidase and D-lactic acid levels in rabbits in the L-YP group compared to the LPS group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, in the jejunum, the L-YP group exhibited a significantly higher villus height compared to the LPS group (p < 0.05). In comparison to the LPS group, the L-YP rabbits significantly upregulated the expression of Claudin-1, Occludin-1 and ZO-1 in the jejunum (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON group, the YP group significantly reduced the levels of rabbit jejunal inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) and decreased the relative mRNA expression of jejunal signaling pathway-associated inflammatory factors such as TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB and IL-1β (p < 0.05). Additionally, notable changes in the hindgut also included the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) of the YP group was significantly higher than that of the CON group (p < 0.05). 16S RNA sequencing revealed a substantial impact of yeast peptides on the composition of the cecal microbiota. Correlation analyses indicated potential associations of specific gut microbiota with jejunal inflammatory factors, tight junction proteins, and SCFA.